Gothic Noir at Acne Studios, Soho

As the New York trip was still overall a research trip I tried and looked out for some gothic fashion. I was not very lucky until I went into Acne Studios in the heaven of retail area Soho and found out they did a whole capsule collection with the Propaganda magazine. The Propaganda magazine was the first magazine which launched in 1982 in New York that featured goth style, photography, music, and overall the love for goth during this time. It was an important influence into the whole subcultural 1980s era of the goths.

Screenshot from Acne Studios website

Acne Studios, Soho, New York. (own image)

Acne Studios, Soho, New York. (own image)

Acne Studios, Soho, New York. (own image)

Acne Studios, Soho, New York. (own image)

I found it really interesting how a brand like Acne studios who is known for their very clean and minimal aesthetic, chose to make a collection that is quite bold and "in your face". When I asked the worker there if he knew any more background information on the collaboration he could not really quite tell me, which was a bit frustrating but I guess the brand can see how the Gothic era has really influenced fashion to this day and is influencing many designers. With this collection the brand might be giving some credit to this important time of influences as well as attracting new customers who would not expect something like this from the brand in particular.

I find that this collection was a very smart move of the brand to show that they can be variable in terms of style and are able to also think about other consumers and pushing the limits. I would have loved to find out a deeper meaning behind this collection but I have asked in store and looked online and was sadly not able to find any further information behind it.