Who is this little boy with a handbag? Why is he posing for a collection aimed at women? It’s fun, isn’t it? But how old is he? Another publicity stunt? …Yeah, the collection’s pretty! Phew!
The first images from the Acne studios campaign are stimulating questions and debate…
For its Autumn-Winter 2015/2016 women’s collection, the brand is taking the trend towards youthful physiques seen at the last Men’s Fashion Week to the extreme, and playing with gender. A cheerful and very serious 11-year-old boy becomes a model for the brand’s women’s line.
It’s not just any child, though, since it’s Frasse, son of the brand’s artistic director. Jonny Johansson. Under the lens of Viviane Sassen, Frasse poses and seems to enjoy the exercise, even if “it’s boring to have your hair fixed all the time.”
A campaign whose title could be: “Gender, age and family” Frasse’s young age embodies a whole era, when getting dressed was still a matter of total freedom, in spite of the way others looked at you. An adventure, fun and a whole lot of experimentation. A carefree, light-hearted spirit, but not impassive in the face of fashion. On this subject, Jonny Johansson speaks of a generation whose attitude to fashion “favors the shapes, cuts and style of clothes” rather than social approval.
A society where genders are constructed in separate ways… Inevitably, the campaign brings this subject back to the fore (as did the last &Other Stories campaign).
Girls’ clothes or boys’ accessories: who sets the standards? Our habits, our culture, conventions, which emanate from no one in particular, but are accepted by all; to the point of no longer being questioned. But we’re living in an era that’s questioning the allants of self, because it’s no more “normal” to wear platform boots if you’re a woman than if you’re a man. Everyone’s feet hurt just as much.
And Frasse: future child star? No, just a great opportunity. It’s not about politics or demands: it’s just a reminder that fashion should remain playful, and that everyone should be free to experiment with the looks they want.
The collection will arrive on acnestudios.com on September 10.
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