Acne Studios SS20 collection combines fashion and art

Acne Studios unveils the inspiration behind the SS20 collection in its new advertising campaign.
Creative director Jonny Johansson looked into the archive of the great Swedish writer and painter August Strindberg and transformed four of his works depicting Scandinavian landscapes (Underlandet, Svartsjukans natt, Den ensamma giftsvampen and Staden) into an aesthetic reflection on life in nature.

I love August Strindberg’s paintings of nature, said the brand’s creative director. 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.

The references to Swedish folklore are mixed with Strindberg's art. Pastel brushstrokes give three-dimensionality to oversized blazers, wide pants, organza shirts, ankle-length skirts, trench coats and high-necked linen dresses. The same effect given by the images that tell the story of the new collection and starring the models photographed in front of the Strindberg painting that inspired the item they wear.