Stockholm label Acne Studios has launched a capsule collection made with the British-Cypriot designer Hussein Chalayan. The twelve garments were developed by Acne Studios creative director Jonny Johansson and Chalayan, who went back to some of the most influential collections Chalayan produced in the early 2000s and reworked them for today.
The capsule concentrates on experimental denim, jersey and leather. Patchwork jeans lead the line-up, among them new takes on Acne Studios’ own signature silhouettes from 1996 and 2009. A patchwork denim shirt and an asymmetric denim vest sit alongside them, while a dress built up in layer upon layer refers back to Chalayan’s Manifest Destiny collection from 2003. The Camero, the house’s signature bag, also appears in a patchwork version, and the range is completed by T-shirts and vests in jersey.
Chalayan is often described as one of the most inventive and avant-garde names in fashion. His work moves between clothing, art, science and architecture, and he has long used technology as a central part of his shows. He graduated from Central Saint Martins in London in 1993 with a collection of silk garments that he had buried in soil for several months to study decay. A later collection, inspired by refugees of the Kosovo war, turned furniture into clothing, and he also created a dress that opened and closed by remote control, drawing on the mechanics of aeroplane wings.
Johansson said the project grew out of long admiration for the designer. “I have always thought Hussein’s work is completely incredible,” he said, adding that he wanted to bring that influence back into view and that working with someone he looks up to felt very special. Chalayan said he especially enjoyed working with Johansson on the denim, and noted that the Acne Studios team came from a different generation. “It made me see my earlier work in a new light,” he said, adding that some ideas can stay relevant beyond their original context.
Alongside the clothes, Acne Studios has published a book, Reference: Hussein Chalayan, in a limited edition of 1,000 copies. The capsule is on sale now through the Acne Studios website and in selected stores around the world, including the brand’s shop on Norrmalmstorg in Stockholm. Prices for the collection have not been listed in the announcement.
