Photos – Acne Studios ©
The independence of mind and spirit from living within nature. The primal wildness of life in the countryside, with traditions circling to the present and future.
“The choice to live in nature can be a radical act. It is poetic but it is also very real, about seeking alternatives. I am always attracted to these people, and the way their life translates into the way they dress. This idea of escape is more important today than ever.” Jonny Johansson, creative director of Acne Studios.
The dream is to live a contemporary life within nature, forging new ways of being. Some achieve it, and in the countryside, they build a life with its own sensibility and a fresh relationship with clothes. It’s about the beauty of imperfections, the practicalities of living on the land, and an intuitive design connection with the patterns of the wild.
For those who live in the city, the countryside is a constant lure. Landscapes by August Strindberg express this yearning, paintings of Swedish nature that feel alive and almost abstract. Printed on pieces throughout the collection, it’s like the air of the Swedish countryside is carried with you.
Layered looks contrast fabrics, textures and sensibilities: a sharp-cut suede shirt over the soft drape of cotton organza skirt; dishevelled knitwear over linen pants foiled with gold.
Oversized jackets are cinched at the waists like a found piece re-appropriated. Gilets as a layer emphasise the feeling of repurposed tailoring.
Traditional Swedish folkloric patterns push forward what the cloth can do. Originally taken from nature, the patterns have true resonance today, inspiring a variety of jacquards. There’s a pinecone pattern on an oversized linen jacket; a floral satin shirt, while a denim jacquard links to the origins of Acne Studios.
The collection is full of intricate treatments: fil coupé jacquard is overprinted as if cracked on a cropped jacket; triple-layer cloqué dresses have bucolic asymmetry; satin dresses are painstakingly pleated to create the effect of creases.
Four paintings by the artist August Strindberg are used as prints: “Underlandet” (Wonderland), “Svartsjukans natt” (The Night of Jealousy), “Den ensamma giftsvampen” (The Solitary Toadstool) and “Staden” (The Town).
Some of the Strindberg paintings are printed on linen and hand-embroidered with crystals, like a halterneck linen dress. Others are all-over printed onto pleats, like a printed taffeta trench.
Cotton silk scarves are an essential, cut long so they’re easy to tie and knot.
Suede bucket hats are whip-stitched as if repaired.
Necklaces and earrings are like the result of nature foraged, with feathers and charms in the shape of fossils. Earrings are draped with long metal chains that are dripped in the paint.
Western buckles on belts are echoed on the front of jacquard stilettos and the straps of soft-structured bags in leather or metallics, like a long pochette with the handle on the side. Cowboy boots are an everyday essential.
