It was revealed last week that Apple would be sponsoring the 2016 Met Gala, with Chief Design Officer Jony Ive serving as a co-chair for the event. Now, Ive, along with Vogue editor Anna Wintour, another Gala co-chair, and Costume Institute Curator Andrew Bolton, has sat down with The Wall Street Journal for an interview on Apple’s foray into the fashion industry.
Ive himself explained that Apple’s interest in the fashion industry has peaked recently thanks to the release of Apple Watch. Ive also teased that learning more about fashion, especially from other attendees of the Met Gala, will help Apple in defining potential future projects.
“As products become more personal, something that is worn on the wrist put us in the space of fashion,” Ive said. On the relationhip between fashion and tech, the theme of this year’s Met Gala, Ive said that it’s an issue that’s close to his heart. “These are issues close to our hearts,” the Apple executive remarked.. “Our understanding will temper and define future products we’re working on. We’re only starting.”
At Apple, Ive said there’s still very much a mix of antiquated and modern technology being used. Ive said that he still draws with a pencil and paper every day, but uses modern technology to enhance it.
Ive, Wintour, and Bolton also sat down with Mashable’s Christina Warren to discuss many of the same topics. One notable quote from Ive centered around how Apple worked to make Apple Watch as customizable as possible.
The 2016 Met Gala, “Manus x Machina: Fashion in an Age of Technology,” all take place in New York on May 2nd.
