Apple to co-sponsor 2017 Met Gala without co-chair position

By Roger Fingas

New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art has announced plans for the 2017 Met Gala, where Apple will be a sponsor for the second year in a row.

The event will be held May 1, and co-sponsored by Condé Nast, Farfetch, H&M, and Maison Valentino, Vogue said. Chairs will include pop stars Katy Perry and Pharrell Williams, Vogue editor Anna Wintour, and Rei Kawabuko, a fashion designer whose work will form the theme for the event.

Unlike last year, Apple won't have anyone chairing the 2017 Gala. 2016 saw design head Jony Ive co-chair with Wintour, Idris Elba, and Taylor Swift.

Since announcing the Apple Watch in late 2014, Apple has increasingly tried to embed itself in the fashion world. The Watch has been sold in some luxury boutiques for instance, and the company sent out early first-generation models to celebrities like Williams and Beyonce -- with some units featuring custom all-gold link bands.

Under former Burberry CEO Angela Ahrendts, modern Apple stores have switched over to a fashion-oriented look. Even the iPhone has become a fashion item with several different colors, such as the iPhone 7's jet black -- so popular that it takes several times longer to ship than other options.