Do I detect a shift in Apple’s direction with regard to accessories? It is going even more upmarket—like their accessories aren’t upmarket enough already—with designer touches. For the longest time, designers and/or designer labels have been limited to just Hermès with the Apple Watch. But then the tech giant “rocked” the industry with a surprise collab with Issey Miyake on the iPhone Pocket. And it does not stop there.
Recently, Apple quietly launched yet another designer accessory: the Hikawa Phone Grip & Stand. Created by Los Angeles–based designer and artist Bailey Hikawa, the Hikawa Phone Grip & Stand is a MagSafe-compatible accessory that attaches to the back of the phone and looks like something Apple lifted from a contemporary art museum’s gift shop.
This limited-edition grip was created to celebrate 40 years of accessibility at Apple, and unlike most designer collabs, this one wasn’t born purely out of style. Hikawa worked directly with individuals with dexterity and muscle-strength limitations to craft a grip that actually reduces the effort needed to keep an iPhone steady. So, yes, it is artsy, but it is also thoughtful engineering wrapped in premium silicone.
It snaps on with magnets, pops off easily, and doubles as a stand with two viewing angles in portrait and landscape. The Chartreuse version looks like it survived a highlighter explosion, while the Crater version resembles a slab of recycled marble that escaped a sculpture studio. Either way, it is unmistakably Hikawa.
Each unit is an art object, designed in Los Angeles, limited in quantity, and—unsurprisingly—sold out before most folks even learned it existed. The Hikawa Phone Grip & Stand retailed for US$69.95.
Images: Apple.
