Photos: Johnny Dufort ©
The Acne Studios Women’s Spring/Summer 2020 collection is about the independence of mind and spirit from living within nature, with the countryside as a constant lure particularly for city-dwellers. Landscapes by the trailblazing Swedish writer and national icon August Strindberg (1849–1912) express this yearning, his quasi-abstract paintings of Swedish nature exuding a spirit of vitality. Printed on pieces throughout the collection, there are four Strindberg paintings featured: “Underlandet” (Wonderland), “Svartsjukans natt” (The Night of Jealousy), “Den ensamma giftsvampen” (The Solitary Toadstool) and “Staden” (The Town).
“I love August Strindberg’s paintings of nature. He would paint them when he had writer’s block. It’s like nature was the answer for him. When you use them as prints, they become abstract? It’s normally very hard to use prints of paintings without it being obvious and cliché, but these prints of Strindberg become like another pattern that connects to the whole collection,” says Jonny Johansson, Creative Director of Acne Studios.
Pieces that feature the Strindberg paintings include oversized blazers, long-sleeved shirts, boxy short-sleeved shirts, ankle-length skirts and relaxed trousers, all crafted from creased linen. There is also a printed organza shirt, long taffeta trench and halter neck linen dress with hand-embroidered crystals. Among the accessories are printed cotton silk scarves cut long and thin, making them easy to knot and tie.
The collection has been shot on models immersed in a world of Strindberg’s paintings, experimenting with different visual dimensions. Photographed by Johnny Dufort, the models and clothing are either connected to a Strindberg landscape painting in a two-dimensional setting or separated whilst in a three-dimensional environment, further exploring the dream of living a contemporary life within nature.
