The shoulder phone is back in fashion: the idea was born from an unemployed mother who was passionate about macrame

UDINE. Flared trousers, short tops and square heel shoes by Sabrina Vita da Strega are back in fashion (the 90s version, to be clear). The hustle and bustle of trends is something we are used to and therefore it is not surprising to find the mobile phone shoulder strap among the looks of this summer.

What are we talking about? Two cords glued to the mobile phone cover, using small hooks that are somewhat reminiscent of those of the valances of the curtains, which allow you to have your smartphone dangling. There are those who use them as a shoulder strap, those who wear them as a chain-like necklace used by people of a certain age who do not want to lose their glasses (also a trend torn from the grandparents’ scrapbook and recalibrated in the world of the genZ, those born after 2001).

A “ridiculous fashion” that starts from crochet

When it comes to fashion, Italy does not have to deal with anyone but if technology is involved then yes, it struggles a bit. The fashion of the shoulder phone, which we now also see in Instagram videos or on TikTok, worn by Chiara Ferragni and other influencers, has already run its course in America. In 2019, Jacob Gallagher, an expert on men’s fashion, in the Wall Street Journal described it as an “absurd” and “ridiculous” fashion.

Only a few months later, as he said the Post in its Fashion section, the shoulder phone have made their entrance on the catwalks of the fashion shows of the major brands. Versace, Gucci, Chanel. The novelty, compared to the smartphone shoulder bags that already existed, was that there was no sachet or handbag.

“A small difference, but it makes the object in question more practical: you don’t have to take the phone out of something or put it back in every time you use it (which sometimes causes the phone to drop).” The invention of him, as the Post recalls, is dated 2016 and is the work of Jentzsch Dib which he founded Xouxou (from the son’s nickname). In less than two years, according to the data released by the company, Dib has managed to produce about 8 thousand shoulder bags a month, with the help of about sixty collaborators.

Jentzsch worked in a production house and, when she became pregnant in 2015 and therefore had to spend a lot of time at home, she began to devote herself to macrame, a technique for making lace only with the intertwining of threads, without needles or crochet hooks. Among the things he made was a homemade smartphone shoulder strap: Jentzsch Dib had punctured the cover of his phone (a normal transparent plastic cover) in four places, two in one corner and two in the other, and had inserted two small rings. Inside the rings she had then slid a macrame cord long enough to be worn over the shoulder and adjustable. In her idea of ​​her it had to serve her not to forget the phone around and still have her hands always free. In an interview she said that when she started to leave the house with her smartphone over her shoulder, her friends asked her to make a similar case for them too and strangers stopped her on the street to find out where she had bought it. .

Who uses it and how much it costs

But who uses it? The answer is easier than expected. Those who consider the mobile phone as an appendage and, in the absence of pockets and bags, need a comfortable support. Those who ride bikes, those who work with smartphones (often seen in Instagram or TikTok videos on everyone who has made video content their job).

There are an infinite number of models: there are cords, more double shoulder straps like bags. Those with beads and those that have shorter laces to wear on the wrist (actually this version is called phone strap). The cover with accessories ranges from 10 to 20 euros and in some cases the lanyard is also sold, which costs more or less as much depending on the material.

Never seen before? Here, now by the fault or by magic of the algorithm that governs social media, it will appear in the stories and posts of your Instagram and Facebook feed. The solution is to put the phone in your pocket. Or put it over your shoulder.