PFW Men’s SS20: OFF-WHITE, Acne, and Fumito Ganryu

At Paris’ Le Carreau du Temple, OFF-WHITE’s men’s Spring/Summer 2020 collection, “Plastic,” made its way down a runway surrounded by a field of white poppies. The collection featured a selection of elevated streetwear pieces like baggy denim, layered t-shirts, and tie-dyed cargo pants, accompanied by a mix of outdoor items and dressy classics—seen in looks like a graffiti-printed suit with oversized pants and raw hemlines, and a selection of hiking boots and athletic shoes accompanying each look. We saw the brand’s iconic graffiti prints marking the surface of garments once more, returning with colorful, abstracted prints by New York artist Futura. The collection also included a series of plastic raingear in white, which was paired with looks throughout the runway show.

Fumito Ganryu’s Spring/Summer 2020 menswear collection made a statement about our tech-driven society, pointing out that the only escape from our constant state of surveillance and tracking is nature. Garments are oversized and boxy, with elements like back-pleated jackets, skirt-like bottoms, and the inclusion of female models highlighting the collection’s unisex quality. Details like zipped side vents, metal eyelets, and practical footwear (made in collaboration with the French brand Salomon) were taken from outdoor attire, seen in pieces like a navy rain jacket with a drawstring hood and a pair of printed shorts made of a tarp-like material. A palette of black and bright natural hues accompanied a selection of landscape-inspired prints including grass, raindrops, and star motifs. Each look was completed with either a long bowl cut, parted in the middle, or an oversized bucket hat that covered the eyes.

As a brand that focuses on adding its own experimental spin to archetypes, Acne Studios’ Spring/Summer 2020 collection stayed true to its roots. Looks were pieced together flippantly—a scarf tossed around the neck; a sweater hung with trails of interwoven fabric; a shoe with apparently-ragged soles—evocative of a project created by an irreverent art student. The eye is drawn across the body by things that appear the same, but different—like a leather belt with a plastic-cast buckle, a pair of leather loafers with a peep-toe and rugged rubber soles, or a tank top embellished with a woven bib front. Highlights included the red jacquard shorts with woven details, worn with an aquamarine shirt and jacket; the oversized khaki shirt worn with a neck scarf and black pant; and the burgundy sweater with the mesh sections and ribbon details, paired with unconventionally-tailored dress pants.