Report: Steve Jobs’ ‘favorite’ glasses selling briskly

First, it was his “favorite turtleneck." Now it’s his “favorite glasses." Nearly a month after his death due to cancer, Apple Inc. co-founder and former CEO Steve Jobs is being used to posthumously endorse a brand of rimless spectacles that were supposedly his favorite. A report on The Wall Street Journal said the Asian distributor of German-made Lunor Classic Rund PP turned its booth at a Hong Kong trade show into a mini-shrine for Jobs. Power Bloom, the Asian distributor, put a pair of the glasses and a photo of Jobs in a display case, the WSJ report said. “Steve Jobs 1955-2011: We have lost an ultimate genius. What he has left us are his overwhelming ideas and his favorite glasses," read the message in the display, the report added. Also in the booth were copies of Walter Isaacson’s just-printed biography, with the photo cover of Jobs wearing the spectacles. On the other hand, Lunor itself featured the glasses with the text “THE GLASSES OF STEVE JOBS ... LUNOR CLASSIC RUND" on its homepage (www.lunor.de). Dramatic increase The WSJ report quoted Garick Tsui, marketing executive for Hong Kong-based Power Bloom, as saying sales have “dramatically increased" since Jobs died. He said a pair of the minimalist glasses retail for about $450. “After he passed, many, many clients and customers asked for these glasses," said Tsui, but did not give exact figures. He would only estimate it was in the hundreds. “Steve Jobs was about perfectionism," the WSJ quoted him as saying. The WSJ report said Tsui did not respond directly to criticism that promoting the connection to Jobs could be seen as profiting from his death. “People see these as a tribute to Mr. Jobs," he said. Last month, a report on TheSmokingGun.com said clothing store Knitcraft cashed in on Jobs’ death, claiming Jobs was a fan of its mock turtleneck shirts. The Smoking Gun article posted screenshots of the firm’s website, with one claiming Jobs was, aside from a great innovator, “a fan of St. Croix." A later screenshot removed the reference to Jobs’ being a fan of St. Croix. The Smoking Gun noted Jobs was not a St. Croix customer, citing Walter Isaacson’s upcoming biography of Jobs that the mock turtlenecks were created specifically for him by his friend and Japanese designer Issey Miyake. But despite the removal of the reference to Jobs’ being a fan of St. Croix, the firm promised to donate $20 to the “ongoing fight against cancer" for every black “Style 1990" garment sold by October 16. Despite the eventual “admission," The Smoking Gun said the “publicity bonanza" and the tacit endorsement it implied resulted in a business boom for the clothing manufacturer. It noted the black “Style 1990" is sold out, though St. Croix promises online customers that the item will be shipped by November 7. — LBG, GMA News