The more surprising new Apple products announced on Wednesday included new Apple Watch models and bands sporting designs and branding from the luxury fashion label Hermès. In a new interview with The Wall Street Journal, Apple design chief Jony Ive has revealed much more about the partnership.
Ive, Apple’s Chief Design Officer, has explained that his company’s deal with Hermès is unprecedented in that it entailed Apple telling another company about one of its products before it had even been announced. Ive’s initial approach to the prestige brand occurred in 2014, ahead of the public announcement of the Apple Watch in September that year.
Ive also singled out the Double Tour, which has a double layer around the wrist and is pictured above in four different colors, as his personal favorite among the new bands. These bands, along with new Hermès-branded watch faces and complete Apple Watch models, will launch in October and be priced from $1100 to $1500. Tantalizingly, it was also revealed in The Wall Street Journal that Apple and Hermès would consider working together again, but there are no concrete details.
