Days after Apple’s iPhone Pocket sold out around the world, fake versions of the accessory have started to become available online.
Earlier this month, Apple introduced the iPhone Pocket in collaboration with Japanese fashion brand ISSEY MIYAKE. The 3D-knitted limited edition accessory is designed to carry an iPhone.
The accessory is like a stretchy pocket, not unlike an iPod Sock, but elongated to form a strap made of a ribbed, elastic textile that fully encloses an iPhone yet allows you to glimpse the display through its open structure. It comes in a short strap variant for $149.95 and a long strap variant for $229.95.
The iPhone Pocket became available to order on Apple’s online store starting Friday, November 14, in the United States, France, China, Italy, Japan, Singapore, South Korea, and the United Kingdom. It quickly sold out around the world.
Now, lookalike versions of the accessories have started to become available on Chinese sites like AliExpress, where you can buy an iPhone Pocket clone for as little as $6. Some listings describe it as a 1:1 replica, but there is no ISSEY MIYAKE print on the label. They describe the accessory as being made with the same production processes. Both the short and long variants are available in all of the original color options.
Apple products and accessories are often replicated by manufacturers in China, but the turnaround for these particular copies has been especially fast. As with most reproductions, quality can vary, yet for customers who missed out on the limited-edition release, found it too expensive, or simply like the aesthetic, the dramatically lower price of these lookalikes may make them a tempting alternative.
