PFW SS25: Acne Studios

The domestic is flipped, contorted, and entirely reimagined for ACNE STUDIOS SS25’ womenswear collection. Jonny Johansson, the brand’s Creative Director expressed that “the idea for this collection started from a twisted domestic scenery”. Alienesque forms infiltrate near-painful normalcy, becoming the onlooker’s conceptual tightrope waltz. This series of garments begs its viewer to question their relationship to the sedentary home, and if it offers us something dynamic in the way of fashionable innovation.

The venue features an installation from Philadelphia-based visual artist, Jonathan Lyndon Chase. Composed of soft sculpture, furniture, and painting, Chase’s individual and innovative style arrives. A reimagining of common household items is integrated as thought-provoking facets of the artist’s version of ACNE STUDIOS’ world. Domestic artefacts appear - lamps, fans, sinks, and radios are reframed in exploration of the dissection and reintegration of the public versus private. Nodding to an ongoing conversation which is directly informed by themes of “Black subjectivity, queerness, and domestic tenderness”. 

When speaking further about the inspiration to collaborate with Chase on the show, Johansson expressed, “I am a big fan of their work and had seen their exhibition Now I’m home, lips that know my name at Sadie Coles HQ in London in 2023”. It’s powerful when creatives are able to build worlds together, in this show we saw the perfect blending of initial concepts into a fully fleshed out event. Elemental features presented in a way that implored audience members to engage with the narrative as it unfolded in front of them. 

When discussing their inspiration behind the visual art pieces Chase expressed “I want to put a lens on interior moments - these domesticated, soft, tender moments. The outside world is chaotic and hard, and I think people can consider trying to be softer”. 

Silhouettes were dramatic and operated in direct juxtaposition with one another. Skin tight latex was paired with flared, over-exaggerated shapes, inflated with padded hip detail whilst denim hemlines remained raw. Showcasing a nuanced take on luxury and where it overlaps into comfort. Lending to the opposition to normalcy, garments are intentionally shrunken or oversized. It’s as if the collection was playing a practical joke on the viewer’s eye. 

The colour palette this season makes a direct and continuous nod to themes of luxury as most of the garments are constructed via chocolate brown, charcoal grey and camel colourways. Additionally black presents in the way of leather and latex pieces, including pops of icing-sugar dusted pinks, pale canary yellow, sky blue, and pearl. Swarovski crystals encrust exaggerated bows which decorated structured drop-waist summer dresses and travel down to light-catching ballerina flats. 

Similar to rifling through your “mother’s wardrobe”, there’s a sense of intentional wrong-pairing, creating stylistic intrigue. Treatments are warped, similar to when you hang a wet shirt or beach towel over the railing to air dry. Creasing is exaggerated, starched, whilst mohair is boiled, giving it a shrunken fit. 

Viewers experience a peek into the keyhole of uncanny domesticity and otherwise perfectly "normal" happenings of the home. Encouraging wearers to be daring, to pair unlikely elements together, building noteworthy creations. Expanding our interpretation via warped silhouettes, surreal material pairings, and otherwise standard home furnishings, these elements are re-envisioned into clothing for the everyday person. 

ACNE STUDIOS Is unafraid to push the limits of conceptual ideation, to serve the conversation on a platter, and hand you the knife and fork. Will you jump at the chance to dig in, or will you leave it for another weary, swarovski encrusted house guest?