PARIS, JANUARY 23, 2016
by LUKE LEITCH
Militaria hackneyed? Not at Acne. After spotting pieces of Swedish army surplus on the streets, Jonny Johansson looked back to the nine months he spent in military service as a youth. “Mostly I was freezing my arse off,” he said, “sleeping under snow in the forest.” While serving his country, Johansson was issued a uniform that dated from the 1940s. To this baseline influence was mixed pink, lavender, a graphic ribbon squiggle, and some decorative eyelet detailing that were all drawn from Västerbottensdräkten, the folk costume particular to the canton of Swedish Lapland in which the designer spent a decade of his childhood.
High-waisted, double-pleated tapered pants—quite formal—or patch-pocketed army pants were worn under reduced greatcoats, fitted micro peacoats, and maxi donkey jackets. A snap-front lavender suede shirt was layered beneath a padded gilet and above a long-skirted shirt in what looked like olive flannel or felt. A number of the shoes were most definitely felt—great fun, grafted loafer–sock hybrids. There was a bit of gray tailoring in nano-herringbone with distressed detail at its seams. Some of the color detail was lovely—if camouflage only at an extroverts’convention—like the teal leather pants that tanged against orange mohair socks.
