Tech giants turn to fashionistas

TO MUCH fanfare, Apple announced recently that Angela Ahrendts is to resign as chief executive of Burberry and join the inner circle in Cupertino, California.

“Apple-polishing” has become the headline du jour. Picturing the soignée Ahrendts surrounded by geeks in jeans and hoodies, we might be forgiven for wondering why Apple feels in need of a fashionista buff-up. After all, there is hardly a product line more shiny-bright than Apple’s — or one with less affinity to the cold exclusivity of the world’s great fashion houses.

But the extraordinary affection that iPhones inspire is different from the anxious ostentation surrounding high fashion.