iPhone Air: the Pursuit of “A Piece of Glass”

At Apple’s iPhone launch event this September, Molly Anderson — who leads the Industrial Design team at Apple’s Design Studio — appeared in vibrant navy Pleats Please by Issey Miyake, with a sky blue iPhone Air worn crossbody. Just as Issey Miyake pursued “a piece of cloth,” Apple has pursued “a piece of glass.”

Apple pursued “a piece of glass” with iPhone Air.

Issey Miyake’s various brands consistently maintain “a piece of cloth” as their fundamental concept. Image Courtest: IM MEN by Issey Miyake

I wanted to feature the English version here on my Medium, but it has been published in AXIS magazine — the same publication carrying the Japanese version. Please do read the full interview there:

[AXIS web: Exclusive Interview with Apple’s Design Team

The Magic Behind iPhone Air](https://www.axismag.jp/posts/2025/10/681067.html)

“We had an idea about thinness and lightness,” Anderson explains in her British accent. “The goal was to achieve something that feels really like a piece of glass. The core of the experience is about immersing yourself in the content, directly connecting with whatever you’re doing — whether you’re on a FaceTime call or looking at photos.”

iPhone Air is the first iPhone designed to be worn like clothing, achieved through accessories such as the separately sold crossbody strap developed in tandem with the device itself. This crossover in the fashion context is a particularly intriguing point.

Whilst many fashion brands simply create garments following Western tailoring grammar with differing decorations, Issey Miyake — like design-driven companies such as Apple or Dyson — employs design engineers who develop manufacturing techniques and production methods. In some areas, such as designing garments with transforming metamaterials, Miyake is arguably more advanced. I hope to write about this in a future article.

For those who have been following my Apple-related articles on Medium, I encourage you to read the full interview in AXIS magazine.

Previously in AXIS, I also covered a conversation between Jony Ive and Naoto Fukasawa — worth reading as well, though that piece was translated by a third party.

[**AXIS Magazine Presents

Special Dialogue: Jonathan Ive × Naoto Fukasawa — The industrial design that changed the world](https://www.axismag.jp/posts/2019/02/116846.html)**