Acne Studios Celebrates Game 1 of the NBA Finals With a New Collab
The first game of the NBA finals is tonight (the Golden State Warriors are playing the Toronto Raptors) and Acne Studios is launching a new collaboration with iconic athletic brand Starter. We’re equally excited for both. Featuring the iconic Starter logo in patchwork layered over Acne’s minimalistic jeans, t-shirts, shorts, and jackets, the capsule collection is seriously a slam dunk. Our favorite items include a slightly oversized varsity jacket in pale pink with off-white sleeves (note: the pink hue closely resembles Pantone’s color of the year, “Living Coral”) and the shrunken off-white basketball shorts.
Regarding the partnership, Jonny Johansson, creative director of Acne Studios, told WWD, “I’m interested in the relationship between sports merchandise and fashion.” Us, too. “Today you cannot really tell the difference [between sports merchandise and fashion] if you ask me…Sports merchandise is full of designs or archetypes that you can work with: It gives products to fashion,” he continued.
Johansson hits on a key reason that sportswear is so prevalent in fashion: it represents the American dream. The possibility to succeed in sports fits within the framework of upwards mobility that the American dream is built on: if you work hard enough, you can make it to the top. Team colors and logos are pack-full of a sense of community and love for your team. Wearing a sports jersey projects to the world that you’re part of something bigger than yourself, which isn’t dissimilar to the community surrounding designer brands like Acne.
There’s been a lot of designer sportswear crossover happening in recent seasons. For example, cult Japanese streetwear brand, Kapital Jeans, recently released a series of patchwork baseball jerseys. Calvin Klein has a pump that looks like a baseball, and Gucci is currently selling a studded leather basketball bag (which seems heavily inspired by artist Andrea Bergart's Spalding basketball bags).
Johansson’s attraction to creating a collection that plays off the aesthetics of the NBA and MLB makes sense as there’s a sense of belonging, of achievement, that goes hand-in-hand with sports. Sport jerseys are as American as apple pie—easily accessible tropes of American culture that outsiders can try on and feel a part of something exciting. Plus, it doesn’t hurt that the designs are pretty cool, too.
Originally Appeared on Teen Vogue
