Zoom is good for many things, but doing justice to a full-on look isn’t one of them, reducing as it does the incentive to dress to impress. The pandemic has in fact largely eliminated the social aspect of dressing. Dressing today is a bit like...self cinema, which is the name of the brand started in 2019 by two Acne Studio alums, Anthony Rock and Samuel Thomas, both Stockholm-based Brits who have made sustainability and non-gendered clothes core parts of their brand.
You can always count on these designers to have an interesting backstory to their collections. The poet Charles Baudelaire was a muse for spring; fall’s is Dr. Carl Jung, whose work on archetypes provided a main framework for a collection designed with options for introverts and extroverts. This was expressed through the palette, a daring mustard yellow and a safer black for outerwear, and on the organic cotton jersey T-shirts.
The actual pieces were as compartmentalized as the collection’s conceptual framework. The focus was on outer- and active-wear; a smart move as that’s what people are wearing now. But the strength of these pieces overshadowed the line’s staple denims and Breton tops, and as a result the collection lacked coherence.
There was a lot to like in the sportier offerings. A miniskirt worn over matching monogram print leggings and a turtleneck was a fresh take on familiar staples. The eco nylon outerwear—vests, anoraks, and puffers—were stellar. Rock and Thomas worked on Acne’s popular collaboration with Swedish outdoors brand Fjӓllrӓven. “We thought, why don’t we try and tackle performance outerwear and give it a fashion angle as well,” said Thomas, adding, “It’s kind of the new luxury—performance, isn’t it?” Self Cinema delivers on both fronts. Their puffers, made of 100 percent recycled nylon and down, really earn their designation as hero pieces. They are beautifully shaped, deliver warmth and style, and feel substantial—even when viewed on Zoom.
