Your pants aren't happy about the new iPhone 6 Plus.
Along with Samsung's mammoth Galaxy phones, Apple's phablet mega-sized phone is starting to look like the future of mobile tech.
That's bad news for your pants. Gone are the days of casually stuffing your palm-sized phone in your pocket. Phablets are too big for such a trend, causing people to worry: Where do we put our phones now? If you're not prone to carrying a purse, the answer may be to just keep your device in your hand at all times.
Although, that hasn't stopped people from buying the phones like crazy -- the 6 Plus was sold out within 24 hours.
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For fashion, the opportunity is either a huge headache or a design opportunity. Some brands are considering what this could mean for the future of pants. A representative for Japanese brand Uniqlo recently told Quartz the company is "having conversations currently with the product development team regarding technology overall, and how our clothes can provide compatibility from a user perspective. Jean pockets is one of those conversations.”
A few other brands, while not saying anything conclusive, told Mashable their company's stance on the hot topic. Some already produce pants that can hold a phablet -- others are considering future pocket design in merchandising conversations.
Phablet fashion is already in play.
American Eagle's spokesperson: "Currently our men's pockets already accommodate the larger phones including the iPhone 6 [and 6 Plus]. Women's is still being evaluated."
Levi's Head of Global Design, Jonathan Cheung: "Without being iPhone 6-specific, our mantra, like [Steve Jobs'], will always be to design products that make people’s lives a little better.”
L.L. Bean's spokesperson: "Within certain product lines, such as our men’s active apparel for instance, (specifically cargo/utility style pants that have side pockets that are natural spots to carry phones), we do use iPhones and Samsung phones in our fit sessions to ensure that the pockets are large enough to accommodate these larger phones. The iPhone 6 would fit in the pockets now."
J. Crew's head of women's design, Tom Mora: "Throughout the design process, we try to consider every aspect of the way our customers live their lives, and changing mobile technology is no exception. We think about all of these details -- whether it's introducing new tech accessories for the new iPhone 6 -- or special interior pockets to carry the various generations of iPads or tablets."
Lee Jeans designer, Whitney Neary, says her company started discussing pocket size as soon as the iPhone 6 Plus debuted, though they haven't committed to anything concrete: "It’s something that we always are considering, in terms of the functionality of our garments. Of course, we’re always going to make sure that we’re going for something that’s flattering for the consumer...but we’re always thinking about how she wears the garment, what occasion she’s wearing the jeans for and what she needs to just make them work for her everyday life.”
At 4.7 inches for the regular iPhone 6 and 5.5 inches for the Plus, front pockets would have to grow considerably in depth and weight to accommodate a phablet. And if you're a woman, your front pockets are probably laughably small to begin with.
Though it might seem silly (and quite literally the definition of a first world problem), the reality is that larger pockets could become a necessity if you want to comfortably tuck your phone away. Back pockets, traditionally deeper than front pockets are the safest bet for now, especially in the wake of BendGate. Thanks to the new iPhone 6's malleable aluminum, the device can be slightly bent if users place it in their front pockets, where it can succumb to the pressure applied when one sits down or moves around. Wired took an in-depth look at the physics behind BendGate, calculating precisely how tight a pair of jeans would have to be to bend this line of iPhones.
Outside the conventional fashion realm, designers have already brainstormed smart solutions. In 2012 (when smaller phones roamed the earth), startup I/O Denim created a successful Kickstarter for a line of men's jeans with deep, side-positioned pockets, closer to the knee than the hip. Thanks to their originally large design, the pants, now sold on Amazon, can also handle an iPhone 6 Plus or Samsung device.
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