The modern fairy tale of A.C.9 for spring-summer 2022 The new collection by Alfredo Cortese is designed for a romantic, dark and unique heroine
A.C.9 debuts at Milan Fashion Week with Alice in Modernland, a modern fairy tale with an underground and melancholic atmosphere. For the spring-summer 2022 collection, which also includes the AC9 x N°21 capsule collection, Alfredo Cortese tells the story of his Alice, a "fearless, courageous, stubborn, innocent woman, but with a dark side". Like Carroll's heroine, she goes on a journey to discover the world and herself which develops in three acts.
One of the first things you notice in the collection are the fabrics and colors. How important is the choice and use of materials for you?
For me, research is vital. The fluidity of a fabric or the way it reflects light are essential to best express the concept behind every look. I use a few, but always in opposition to each other.
The collection presented in Milan also includes the A.C. 9 x N ° 21 capsule. What does this collaboration mean for you?
It crowns the mentorship period of this year. Telling and reworking the codes of N°21 in an A.C.9 key was a super interesting challenge. I was entrusted with nude knitwear, a material and color dear to Alessandro Dell’Acqua in shapes and volumes full of eroticism and desirability.
The collection combines hyper feminine details like feathers and crystals with a dark and bold mood. Who are the women who inspire A.C.9 and how do these two elements coexist in them?
The women who inspire me and who I would like to wear my clothes are strong, independent, sensual and at the same time they are not afraid to show their weaknesses. They are feminine but with a decidedly dark side. Like Alice, they rebel against the world around them and create a new imaginary, timeless and stylish one.
