Steve Jobs’s black turtleneck began as a personal version of an idea he had encountered at Sony: a uniform could give people a shared identity. After Apple employees rejected his proposed company vest, Jobs kept the uniform idea for himself, asking designer Issey Miyake to make him about 100 black turtlenecks. Jobs also liked the practicality and distinctive style of dressing the same way every day.
How Sony inspired the idea of a uniform
As recounted by biographer Walter Isaacson, Jobs visited Japan in the early 1980s and asked Sony chairman Akio Morita why factory employees wore uniforms. Jobs was struck by the possibility that a shared outfit could create a bond between workers and their company. He later put the idea plainly: “I decided that I wanted that type of bonding for Apple.”
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Sony’s uniform jacket had been designed by Issey Miyake. Jobs asked Miyake to create a vest for Apple and brought samples back, but Apple employees rejected the proposal. The company-wide uniform never took hold.
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Why Jobs wore one himself
Instead, Jobs adopted a uniform of his own. He and Miyake became friends, and Jobs asked the designer to make black turtlenecks he liked. In Isaacson’s account, Jobs recalled: “So I asked Issey to make me some of his black turtlenecks that I liked, and he made me like a hundred of them.”
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Jobs’s reasons were both practical and personal: he liked the convenience of a consistent daily outfit and the recognizable style it gave him. The account does not establish that avoiding decision fatigue was his reason; that explanation goes beyond what Jobs is reported to have said.
Was it a turtleneck or a mock turtleneck?
Jobs’s quoted recollection uses the word “turtlenecks.” News descriptions commonly call the garment a black mock turtleneck, a related style with a shorter collar. The distinction matters when describing the look: “black mock turtleneck” is the familiar shorthand, but it is not the word Jobs used in the quoted account.
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- CLASSIC FIT: Close but comfortable fit with easy movement.
- COTTON BLEND LIGHTWEIGHT SWEATER YARN: Soft, lightweight sweater yarn with beautiful drape.
- TURTLENECK SWEATER: A modern, classic layering piece, perfect for both a polished and casual look.
- DETAILS: Features a fold-over turtleneck, rib detail at neck, cuffs, and hem.
What the reported numbers do—and do not—show
- About 100: Jobs’s recollection to Isaacson, reported in 2011, was that Miyake made him “like a hundred” turtlenecks. It is an approximate remembered number, not a verified inventory count.
- More than 100: TIME reported in 2022 that Jobs had a collection of more than 100 turtlenecks. That later description is not the same measure as Jobs’s approximate recollection.
- $175 each: TIME’s 2022 retrospective reported this figure for the custom Miyake turtlenecks. It is not evidence of an original invoice or a current price.
The account is reported through Isaacson’s biography and later coverage, rather than a direct interview transcript or independently verified record of the conversation. It supports the broad explanation—Sony’s uniforms inspired Jobs, Apple rejected his vest, and he adopted a personal uniform—but not an exact count or a definitive retail value.
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Quick Recap
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- CLASSIC FIT: Close but comfortable fit with easy movement.
- COTTON BLEND LIGHTWEIGHT SWEATER YARN: Soft, lightweight sweater yarn with beautiful drape.
- TURTLENECK SWEATER: A modern, classic layering piece, perfect for both a polished and casual look.
- DETAILS: Features a fold-over turtleneck, rib detail at neck, cuffs, and hem.
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- Washing Instruction: Machine wash,recommend with a laundry bag, do not bleach, do not iron, hang or line dry.
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