To dress Michael Fassbender as Steve Jobs, the costume designers for Danny Boyle's film—currently in theaters—didn't have to look far. The most famous geek's style is both minimalist and timeless. This choice dates back to the 1980s. After a visit to Sony's Tokyo workshops, the Apple founder returned with a simple idea: a jacket, accompanied by a few samples by Issey Miyake, that he wanted all his employees to wear, just like Japanese workers. It's hardly surprising.

In 1983, in Aspen, at the International Design Conference, the big boss had clearly stated things: "Whether in the management of the company, the design of our products or our advertising campaigns, everything must follow the same guiding principle: simplicity. Authentic simplicity."

Upon arriving at Apple's headquarters in Cupertino, his desire to impose a uniform sparked a furore, to the point that he alone wore the iconic outfit: New Balance 991 or 992 sneakers, perfectly faded Levi's jeans, and a black undershirt designed at his request by his friend Issey Miyake, who never sought to profit from this association. Neither the Japanese designer nor the Apple CEO were interested in publicity; their obsession was progress, research, and innovations that went beyond mere fashion phenomena.

Since then, the pace of trends has accelerated, multiplied, and globalized to the point of saturation, giving rise to an opposite reaction: a movement advocating normality, timelessness, and quality, which the Anglo-Saxon press has dubbed "normcore." Steve Jobs, who died of cancer in 2011, has become the perfect symbol of this.

In menswear, several labels embody this spirit, such as the Parisian brand 13 Bonaparte. It goes so far as to defy the traditional collection calendar, preferring to revisit its best-sellers by simply changing the materials or colors. A "concept that breaks away" from the fashion industry, which corresponds more to the way most men dress, according to David Sarfati, its founder. This approach is appealing: after winning over Parisians with their confident style, the brand is now attracting the attention of department stores in Japan and the United States, which want to export its designs from its Haut Marais boutique.