The white headphone cords of the first iPods were a stroke of design genius. Snaking out of your ear on the subway or bus, they signaled to everyone exactly what brand of music player you were using.
But now that you can't walk into a cafe without seeing the white cords dangling everywhere, they've become a little (okay, a lot) less exciting. Spotting an opportunity, designers are looking for ways to jazz them up.
On August 10, Vermont-based ski and winter-sports accessory company Eastern Collective released a collection of four 30-pin iPhone cables covered in woven textiles inspired by climbing and sailing rope. With their hip, rugged look, you can imagine them gracing the set of Portlandia.
Matt Benedetto, a recent college grad who founded Eastern Collective while he was still a teenager crocheting beanies for his friends in Gore Mountain, Vermont, designed the cords himself after a moment of ennui with his own iPhone: "I noticed how companies have done all sorts of cord materials and textiles for headphones," he said by email. "So I thought to myself, how can I take this boring white cord and make it something that is both functional and looks great?"
Discerning iPhone users are glad he asked. The response so far, Benedetto said, has been "overwhelming." So much that he's already thinking about a version for iPhone 5, which will ditch the 30-pin connector cable, but not the temptation to customize.
