If there was an iconic CEO in the world, it was Steve Jobs. The presentations he made, the expressions he used and even his personal branding, developed long before this concept existed, made it a constant and recognizable reference. It will take decades to forget (if we ever do).
However, with Steve Jobs' image being so consistent, he is not exempt from using products from brands he admired and that helped him build that image.
In the early 80s, when Apple was just starting out, Steve Jobs visited Japan to meet Sony president Akio Morita and establish alliances. During the visit, Steve went to different departments to learn more about the culture and work environment, and was surprised that everyone was wearing a uniform (after the war, people didn't have money to buy clothes, so companies started offering them workers so they wouldn't have to spend).
Steve Jobs liked the idea and thought about establishing it at Apple, as a way to establish a link between the company and the workers, and he talked about it to his managers.
The look he received from those who listened to his proposal must have been categorical enough to never try to apply it in his own factory, but he decided that he would adopt a "uniform" that would allow him to do without fashions and trends, and always be comfortable and informal, without anyone thinking he was disrespectful to the public.
Of course, we're not going to talk about the Apple products Steve Jobs used every day here, but about everything else.
What is the American Normcore fashion?
Many believe that the coining of the term "normcore" belongs to K-Hole, a New York-based trend research group that included the term in its third PDF, "Youth Mode," published in 2013. In it, they described normcore how to move away from "the appeal that rests on the difference of a post-authentic appeal that chooses uniformity […] instead of appropriating an aesthetic version of what one wears, solves the situation using what has at hand". Finally, and probably more importantly, they added that "to be truly Normcore, you have to understand that there is no such thing as 'normal'".
K-Hole wasn't the first to use the term "normcore"; Ryan Estrada, a comic artist, used the term in Templar AZ, in 2008, to refer to people who have come to appropriate trends over the years.
What is meant by normcore exists somewhere between the Estrada and K-Hole definitions. In a nutshell: normcore is based on the simplest things and is, in theory, avoiding individuality in an effort to be more versatile. The normcore trend in fashion is seen by many as the culmination of a joke, which began in the K-Hole report and amplified by a New York Magazine report, which ended up being taken seriously. It brought us one of the dominant trends of the mid-2010s, which embraced shapeless silhouettes, such as straight-leg jeans, boxy T-shirts or chunky trainers. (source)
We have no doubt that if we had raised a bit of this with Steve Jobs, he would have looked at us in amazement and turned away, leaving without deigning to talk to us, because he had no time to waste on nonsense.
But, whether he liked it or not, the paradigmatic examples of American Normcore are Steve Jobs and Mark Zuckerberg.
Steve Jobs glasses
The Steve Jobs glasses are from the Lunor Classic Rund (Round) brand. Steve Jobs normally wore them in Antique Silver (AS), although many believe they were Plated Platinum (PP), but the truth is they were AS. This error comes from the Wall Street Journal, which asked an Asian supplier of Robert Marc what glasses Steve Jobs wore and gave them the wrong information.
Steve Jobs visited Robert Marc because he is the only authorized Lunor eyewear distributor in the United States. Robert Marc has his own jewelers and makes his own glasses, as well as selling Lunor's.
Steve Jobs liked Lunor Classic glasses and decided to have circular lenses, which gave rise to the model we all know. Over the years Jobs asked Marc for many glasses, and in the last days of his life Steve Jobs asked for versions with white gold temples, exclusively for him.
Despite everything, there is no known photograph of Steve Jobs wearing these white gold glasses.
The glasses can be purchased in three different finishes for $ 495 (US) or € 325 in Spain (the lenses are separate).
The black turtleneck
When Steve Jobs decided it would be good for all Apple workers to wear uniforms when they were in factories or offices, he contacted the stylist who had worked on Sony uniforms.
He contacted Issey Miyake and asked him to create uniform samples for Apple employees. When Steve returned to Apple and told his intentions, as we said, his enthusiasm was evident in his absence.
However, the idea stuck in his head and he decided he wanted a uniform for himself. She asked Miyake to design a "uniform" for her everyday wear that would at the same time introduce her concept of simplicity and bought dozens of black turtleneck sweaters that she started wearing as an outfit every day of the week.
Steve Jobs sneakers
In 1906, an American waiter and shoemaker named William J. Riley developed - observing the chicken legs with three supports - an arch-shaped support that improved the footprint and sold in the United States under the name of New Balance Arch.. In the late 30s he developed the concept to create his first sneakers for a local club known as Boston Brown Bag Harriers. The mouth - ear did the rest and soon all the runners wanted to wear New Balance, the best for sport.
Steve Jobs's were always gray. Preferably the 992 model, which unfortunately is now out of production in grayscale. But you can buy New Balance sneakers similar to Jobs for a modest sum of € 200.
I jeans di Steve Jobs
According to the curator of Levi's historical archive, Tracey Panek, Levi's 501 jeans that belonged to Steve Jobs himself they are kept in the warehouses of the American company.
Levi's were the first jeans in history. When Levi Strauss emigrated from his native Germany to San Francisco, he discovered coal mines and built ultra resistant work trousers for miners.
Steve Jobs has always worn Levi 'Strauss, from those that have been modified so he could wear with suspenders to the standards he used without a belt.
Steve Jobs's car
Here we talk about Steve Jobs's car in his time and the different customs he had, such as parking in the Infinite Loop square for the disabled or taking it without registration.
His car was usually one Mercedes SL 55 AMG without license plate. It seems he decided to have a car without a license plate to prevent people chasing and harassing him while traveling on the freeway, or that reporters didn't know where he was in case he needed privacy.
This was possible because in those days in the state of California there was a law that allowed a period of up to six months to register a car after purchase.
The SL 55 AMGs were not bought but rented, but from 2019 i Californians will have to register the car before withdraw it from the dealership.
Even Steve Jobs's washing machine
Stece Jobs and his family spent two weeks analyzing the advantages and disadvantages of the different models.
This is an excerpt from the iCon book, with statements from Steve Jobs:
"We didn't have a good [washing machine], so we spent time looking at the models," Isaac Wolf told Gary. “It turns out that US-made washers and dryers are poorly made. Europeans make them much better, but they take twice as long to complete the cycle! It turns out that European washing machines use a third the amount of water than American ones, and that clothes end up containing much less detergent. And best of all, they don't ruin your clothes, they use a lot less soap, a lot less water, but the clothes come out much cleaner, much softer and last longer.
“For a long time we talked with our fans about the sacrifice we wanted to make. We ended up talking a lot about design, but also about our family values. Did we care more that the laundry was done in an hour rather than an hour and a half? Or did we care more that our clothes came out soft and lasted longer? Were we worried about using a third of the water? We spent two weeks talking about it every day at dinner. We started talking about the old washer-dryer, and we ended up talking about design ”.
He eventually bought a Miele model, adding: "I'm more excited about that washing machine than all the high-tech parts I've seen in the last few years!").
