Acne Studios' Trompe-L'oeil Denim Innovations
Acne Studios expands its denim line with playful printed illusions, while a visit to Waterbury Buttons reveals the heritage of American brass button manufacturing.
Two distinct stories highlight different facets of the menswear world. The first details Acne Studios' latest experimental denim collection, which features printed optical illusions. The second offers a look inside Waterbury Buttons, a historic American manufacturer of brass blazer buttons, visited alongside clothier Paul Stuart.
Acne's Illusionary Denim
Acne Studios is pushing denim design with a new range of jeans featuring trompe-l'oeil prints. The collection includes prints of a knotted scarf and jewels appearing to hang from the belt, alongside teddy-bear and ribbon prints, an image of photocopied jeans on denim, and fake strips of tape. The brand, which began three decades ago with 100 pairs of raw denim jeans, continues to balance these eccentric prints with classic, clean cuts rooted in a Scandinavian sensibility.
The viral keychain-covered jeans from 2024 have evolved into a broader exploration of optical illusions. A 'mended' fit features hand-applied stains and patches that create depth, while a Hussein Chalayan capsule combines light and dark washes. Acne's approach, which inspires DIY attempts to replicate its pre-dirtied styles, avoids becoming a cash grab by treating the printed illusions as a new signature. The brand's sense of humor and commitment to its foundational fits keep its denim output distinct.
A Button Factory Archive
A visit to Waterbury Buttons in Connecticut reveals it as the largest maker of brass buttons in the United States and an immense archive of design. The factory houses dies, the stamps used to make buttons, for thousands of companies spanning decades, including fashion brands, train companies, and military units. Paul Stuart, which is working with American manufacturers, found an old Paul Stuart blazer button die from the late seventies during the visit.
The company's primary business is supplying the entire U.S. military, various police forces, and other services, a market that requires American-made products. Manufacturing buttons for fashion brands is a tiny part of its operations by comparison. Waterbury, established around the War of 1812, has absorbed other local manufacturers over the years. Its oldest employee, 94-year-old Jack, demonstrated how a die is made using tons of pressure to join metal cylinders. The process involves stamping out button fronts and backs separately before joining them together.
