I wanted to dress a woman who was lost, searching for something indefinable and only carrying her mental luggage. A woman coming from no-man’s land, draping herself in strong fabrics and starting a journey. She doesn’t know why she’s running away and she doesn’t know what she’s looking for. But she’s a brave woman, because you don’t start such a journey on your own. In being a woman, she’s looking for her masculinity.
a resurgent interest in Ackermann's work arose after reading an interview he did with Knack Weekend. one derives a sense of thoughtfulness from his responses in the interview - something that perhaps translates through to his work. the quietly drawn-back hair, earthy tones and soft fabric textures of his most recent collection lend a stoic placidity to the entire affair. bared shoulders, a hand on the chest, and a hood drawn over the head suggest uncertainty. the work is evenly poised between strength and frailty, with a remarkable awareness of effect.
the reserved tone of his work is something that has carried through over the years, and something that comes across in the edition of A Magazine that he curated. in that publication, as in the interview, one feels the atmosphere that surrounds his work. there is an expanse of space as communicated by the blank colourlessness, but there is also a feeling of being shrouded - by what? - the interview perhaps begins to provide the answer.
When you’re a small child walking through the medinas of Algeria, where you can see veiled spirits and ghosts wander through narrow streets, you’re intrigued by these images. You want to know what’s under the curtains, where the great mystery and this sensuality are coming from. Those are my roots as a fashion designer. I wanted to decipher the totally different world hidden underneath those fabrics.
(credit: roupas from stylezeigeist for his translation)
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