The colours may not be strikingly feminine but the cuts are. Printed scarves read "woman power" and "radical feminist". It's not the first time the topic of feminism has been introduced to high fashion (e.g. the runway protest at Chanel's SS15 ready-to-wear show). There's a lot of what men would call 'comfortable clothing': football hooligan inspired scarves, donkey jackets, tweed suits. Then there's the combination of oversized knitwear, thick-soled shoe, mixed with a touch of femininity with the addition of leggings and earrings. Either you don't get it or you find it interesting.

Rather than the former, take a double-take. There's certainly more Jonny Johansson, the creative director and co-founder of Acne Studios, wants to say. We live in a world where men are scared of women's clothing, and yet, when we twist that around, women embrace men's clothing. In films, for example, there's always that scene of a girl who wakes up the next morning to make breakfast in a guy's shirt. In fact in reality, girls actually would go shopping for oversized t-shirts. What's the fear all about? I've slowly evolved to become more accepting (to see men wearing women's pieces). Truth is, why should menswear always be restricted? My point here is not to make clothing unisex, nor am I saying Marc Jacob's choice to wear a skirt is 'right'; but that people should be allowed to do what their want. What exactly is 'right'? When I find myself asking others' opinions while purchasing items, the more other people dislike (or even hate) an item, the more I want it.

It's not simply a juxtaposition of tailoring and sportswear, but a juxtaposition of 'manly' football hooligans and, put bluntly, feminine influences. It could simply be a meeting point for these two distinct styles, or even a mock to the stereotypical man who 'has to be a football supporter' and not spend 400 pounds on 'just shoes'. In the press release, the idea is clear.

“I wanted to explore what it means to feel masculine, and fit into what we understand as men’s style.”

— Jonny Johansson, Creative Director

From the way the models are posing for this lookbook, the theme of this collection is distinct. It's not a drag-show or anything like it, but rather an exploration into what Johansson thought men would be comfortable in and a further exploration of the modern man's style; a style quite different from the typical Acne Sutdios' audience but worth exploring as Johansson did. Go gender equality.

All pictures were taken with permission from Acne Studios.

To be continued…#tbc