AI + artisans = custom sneakers, 'State of Fashion 2026' released, the Curious Power of a Sold-Out Knit iPhone Sock
Google and Golden Goose fuse AI with artisanal sneaker customisation; BoF & McKinsey warn fashion’s volatility is now the norm; and Apple’s $230 Issey Miyake iPhone Pocket sells out.
Google Pixel and Golden Goose Bring AI Customisation to Luxury Sneakers
Google Pixel has teamed up with Golden Goose to launch an AI-powered sneaker customisation experience across more than 40 stores worldwide. Shoppers use a dedicated Gemini “Gem” on in-store Pixel devices to generate personalised digital artwork - names, motifs, patterns - which Golden Goose artisans then hand-apply to the brand’s signature sneakers. It’s a fusion of machine-generated concepts and Italian craftsmanship, delivered at the moment of purchase.
Why it matters: This is Google using luxury retail as a live demo for experiential AI, showing how Gemini can shape physical products. For Golden Goose, it supercharges an already successful customisation offer without diluting its craftsmanship. Are luxury brands starting to treat AI as an input to human artistry rather than a threat to it?
The Tech Buzz Team
BoF and McKinsey Map Fashion’s Next Disruptive Cycle
McKinsey and BoF’s State of Fashion 2026 argues that the industry isn’t entering a turbulent period, it’s already in one. Executives expect conditions to deteriorate next year as tariffs redraw sourcing maps, consumers tighten wallets and AI accelerates its march through design, operations and shopping itself. The report highlights ten themes ranging from the rise of AI-native shoppers to the mid-market’s resurgence, smart eyewear’s growth, and the continued pressure on luxury as aspirational consumers pivot to wellbeing and value. Jewellery remains a rare bright spot, and resale is maturing from optional add-on to strategic revenue line.
Why it matters: This is the first SoF that treats volatility as baseline rather than exception - the industry’s operating model has permanently changed. The implication is blunt: brands that still behave as if 2023 rules apply will get squeezed on all sides. Improved business operations through AI and digital tools are now front and centre in leaders' minds.
Apple and Issey Miyake’s $230 “iPhone Pocket” Sells Out - Yes, the Knit Phone Sock
Apple’s collaboration with Issey Miyake - a 3D-knitted iPhone Pocket that many gleefully dubbed a “phone sock” - has officially sold out. The limited run, priced between $149.95 and $229.95, blended Miyake’s Pleats Please textile engineering with Apple’s minimalist design language to create a stretch-knit carrier you can wear cross-body or hook onto a bag. Despite early mockery over its lack of closures and its uncanny resemblance to the iPod socks of the Noughties, every colourway has disappeared.
Why it matters: It’s not classic fashiontech, but it is fashion meeting tech, and the sellout underscores how design-forward objects can command heat even when the utility case is thin. Apple has effectively turned a knitted pouch into a cultural moment, proving that when a tech giant plays in fashion’s sandbox, scarcity and brand power can outweigh function. For the industry, it’s a reminder that the boundary between device and accessory is blurring, and that consumers will still pay luxury prices for the right fusion of story, aesthetics, and hype.
Ellie Muir
Quick Links
Other stories that caught our eye.
Tom Bottomley
Amy O’Brien
ByShiona McCallumSenior technology reporter