IEN Radio

LISTEN: Former iPhone Mastermind Jony Ive Has Reinvented the Button

September 10, 2024 Eric Sorensen

Jony Ive spent 27 years at Apple, including as its senior VP of industrial design and chief design officer, before leaving in 2018 to start his own design firm. His efforts were considered key to the success of the iPhone and now he’s bringing his skills to an entirely new area – apparel.

Ive’s firm LoveFrom has teamed up with fashion brand Montcler to produce a new jacket, but don’t expect a rehash of the status quo: this jacket spent four years in development, and features multiple, swappable layers that range from a down vest to a parka or a hooded poncho. The layers are mostly built with a single, uncut piece of recycled nylon that eliminates the seams.

But it’s the tiniest part that Fast Company calls “the star of the show.”

In an effort he calls a “very gentle, humble e-xploration,” Ive has created a modern new design for the most forgettable of components – the button.

Download and listen to the audio version below and click here to subscribe to the Today in Manufacturing podcast.