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Apple’s 1986 Fashion Line Is Amazing


August 1, 2014 | Sophie Weiner

Before it became one of the biggest, most powerful companies in the world, 1986 was a dark time for Apple. After a dispute with Apple CEO John Scully, Steve Jobs had resigned to start his own company. The release of the Macintosh was a huge leap forward for personal computing, but the company’s turbulent period produced some other, bizarre artifacts.

Take this capsule fashion line. The Apple Collection‘s catalog was very open about its demographic, “windsurfers, tennis players, and ‘people who run, or just want to look like they do.'” Apparently, the company was really into windsurfing in the ’80s. “After a rough day windsurfing, the Apple sweatshirt is just the thing,” the catalog read. You could even buy a genuine Apple branded sailboard for $1,100.

It’s not strange that these designs look so of the moment. There’s nothing hip kids love more than the quaint technology of the recent past. Just this week, artist Rhizome announced an “internet surfing” competition to win some of Cory Arcangel’s own technology and web-themed clothing. Now that this line has been rediscovered, it’s only a matter of time until these end up on eBay and are spotted on Rihanna. (Images: The Vine)