Steve Jobs is one of the most iconic entrepreneurs
in history, thanks to his incredible ability to predict the future. But one of his most iconic creations wasn’t
a product or company, it was actually his outfit. As early as the 1980’s, Jobs could be seen
wearing a black turtleneck and blue Levis jeans. Which was very unusual for the CEO of a multi-million
dollar company. By the 90s, he began wearing this signature
outfit everyday. In public while visiting Apple Stores, on
stage during keynote presentations, and even privately in his own home. This has left many people wondering why Jobs
wore the same outfit everyday, and what prompted him to settle on a black mock turtleneck with
blue jeans. So let’s find out why. This is Greg with Apple Explained, and if
you’d like to help decide which topics I cover, make sure you’re subscribed and voting
polls like this one will begin appearing in your mobile activity feed. Alright now the origin story behind Steve
Job’s iconic outfit is almost as fascinating as the man himself. Who was known to have a passion for Japanese
design and architecture. And it was during a trip to Japan in the 80’s
when Jobs learned about a unique approach to corporate clothing. While touring a factory that belonged to Sony,
Jobs noticed that everyone working there wore uniforms. Which was very unusual for office and factory
workers at the time. Jobs asked then CEO Akio Morita why Sony provided
them with uniforms, instead of simply wearing their own clothing from home. Morita explained that after World War II,
most people in Japan didn’t even have clothing to wear to work. So companies like Sony had to provide them
with something to wear every day. But the decision regarding what outfit they
would give employees wasn’t made arbitrarily. Sony recognized the opportunity to create
a uniform that would give the company a signature style, and a chance to foster camaraderie
among workers. Who wouldn’t have to feel embarrassed about
not having any nice outfits to wear to work. Sony enlisted the help of Japanese designer
Issey Miyake to make their uniforms. And what he ended up creating was a beige
nylon jacket with sleeves that could be unzipped to make a vest. This approach to corporate dress appealed
to Jobs, but didn’t make much sense to Apple’s employees. Jobs explained, “I decided that I wanted
that type of bonding for Apple. So I called Issey and asked him to design
a vest. I came back with some samples and told
everyone it would be great if we would all wear these vests. Oh man, did I get booed off the stage. Everybody hated the idea.” But despite the failed attempt to implement
uniforms, there was some good that came out of the experience. It led to Jobs and Issey forming a friendship
that resulted in the successful creation of a uniform, if only for one person: Jobs himself. He became enamored with the idea of wearing
the same thing everyday. Not only for the convenience, but also to
establish a signature style. Which Steve Jobs had already done for Apple,
and now wanted to do for himself. He said, “So I asked Issey to make me some
of his black turtlenecks that I liked, and he made me like a hundred of them. I have enough to last for the rest of my life.” But it wasn’t only the black turtleneck
that defined Jobs personal uniform. He also wore a pair of Levi’s 501 original
fit jeans, and a pair of sneakers, usually New Balance. The outfit quickly became Job’s signature
look, and inspired fans like me to recreate the style themselves. Which probably wasn’t the most socially-acceptable
thing to wear in high school, but it was fun nonetheless. In fact, people became so passionate that
after Job’s death in 2011, they flocked to purchase his iconic turtleneck from a company
called St Croix. The clothing label claimed Steve Jobs was
a, quote, “great innovator and fan of St Croix.” Although that statement wasn’t entirely
true, since Jobs never purchased his shirts from that company. But despite the dishonesty, their stock of
$175 black mock turtlenecks sold out just days after Job’s death. The true designer and supplier of Job’s
iconic turtleneck, Issey Miyake, ended up releasing an updated version in 2017. It was called the Semi-Dull T and featured
a trimmer silhouette and higher shoulders than the original worn by Jobs. Made from 60% polyester and 40% cotton, it
went on sale for $270, and was retired from production in 2018. Although you can still find them being sold
on resale websites like Grailed for about $500. Alright guys so that is why Steve Jobs wore
the same thing everyday. Thanks for watching till the end, don’t
forget to subscribe to help decide which topics I cover, and I’ll see you in the next video.
