• Ann-Sofie Back is Back (with a Retrospective)

    Written by Natalia Muntean

    “I needed to make some sort of summary of my work in order to say goodbye and live again,” Ann-Sofie Back says, looking back at her career. Considered one of Sweden’s most influential fashion designers, Ann-Sofie Back is reflecting on her journey in Go As You Please – Ann-Sofie Back, a new exhibition at Stockholm’s Liljevalchs+ Museum, covering her work from 1998 to 2018. “Nicole Walker, my co-curator, and I have intentionally designed the exhibition to be as incohesive as possible,” Back explains. “We needed to make it exciting for us to put the exhibition together and a straight-up retrospective would have bored me to work on.”

    Accompanying the exhibition is a comprehensive monograph of the same name, which includes a wealth of visuals showcasing Back’s collections, runway presentations, lookbooks, styling projects, exhibitions, and media coverage. It also features interviews, articles, and writings by Back herself. “The book represents the linear development of my esthetic,” says the designer, “and the exhibition is more of a spontaneous interpretation.”

    The book, an extensive overview of Ann-Sofie Back’s vast archive, includes re-published texts by Lauren Cochrane, Anders Edström, Francesca Granata, Ulrich Lehmann, Maria Ben Saad and Mathilda Tham as well as images by photographers such as Richard Prince, Johnny Dufort, Anders Edström, Nick Knight, David Sims, Juergen Teller and Harley Weir. “I chose these writers because they often revealed perspectives on my work that I hadn’t considered,” says Back. Reflecting on the 1999 shoot with Juergen Teller, she recalls, “I expected things like that to happen back then, but now, looking back, I’m almost embarrassed by my younger self.”

    The sketches and creative processes behind her pieces are what she is most excited for readers to discover in the monograph, but she regrets not including her portfolio from St. Martin’s, where she graduated in 1998. “It was so good!

    I just found it in a box in my storage,” she adds. “It would have also been fun to include all the absurd incidents from that time and the fun we had.”

    Over the years, her collections have challenged conventions of femininity, beauty, and glamour. Reflecting on her evolution, Back says she’s come full circle: “I’m back where I started—in 1998.”

    And her advice for young designers hoping to make an impact? “I don’t give advice,” she says straightforwardly.

    Whether Back will return to fashion remains open-ended. “I don’t know. Anders Edström and I did a shoot for the exhibition, revisiting my old designs with non-models in the suburb where I grew up. We agreed it would be our last shoot—but then I saw the Sugababes are touring again, so who knows?” For now, Back is designing interior objects under the name Gnilmyd Kcab.

    The monograph will be launched on November 7 at Liljevalchs, and the exhibition will be available from November 8, 2024, to February 23, 2025.

    Photo credit: @annsofie_back_archive and courtesy of Liljevalchs Museum

  • photography Jessica Chea
    producer James Tate Wilson

    fashion Kali Amour

    makeup Mia Moceri

    hair Endacha Brooks

    set designer Dina Chipiga

    models Carlo Sciortino, Katiane Reeves, Kali Amour,

    Maya Peterson, Chloe Parra Stovellyy and Arya Hanumara

    fashion assistant Sade Brand

    production assistant Liz Millet

    all clothing SBYRENTALS and Stylist's Own

    Letter From a Fellow Gen Z Voter

    Written by Jessica Chea by Sandra Myhrberg

    I remember casting my first ballot in 2020—fresh into college amidst the swirling storm of the pandemic. It felt monumental, a true rite of passage into adulthood. Now at 24, I’m excited to participate in my second election. But this election season… It feels different.

    Ever since Biden endorsed Harris to succeed him and Trump narrowly escaped an assassination attempt, this election has transformed into more than just a political battleground; it's become a cultural moment. My generation, raised on TikToks about social justice and memes dissecting policy debates, is stepping into the political arena to join this intense close fight. With Gen Z making up about 20% of the U.S. population and 30% of all eligible voters, we’re finally realizing that yes, our voices matter. And it shows, not just at the polls, but on the streets. Everywhere you look, our culture of speaking up has influenced changes big and small.

    Political figures are adapting to this shifting media landscape, directly through the digital platforms in our hands. Podcasts and alternative media have become crucial for engaging younger audiences. Kamala Harris on Call Her Daddy with Alex Cooper and Donald Trump on Joe Rogan? We’ve never seen anything like it.

    It’s thrilling to watch people who once only cared about sneaker drops and Spotify Wrapped (still very important) now debating which candidate offers a better path forward over $7 iced matcha lattes (thank you, inflation). For a generation raised in uncertainty, from economic crashes to climate disasters, apathy isn’t an option anymore. We’ve grown up hearing that the future depends on us, and now it’s our turn to shape it. So, whether it's a vote for policy change or a vote against complacency, it’s personal. So this election, in true fashion, we’re showing up and showing out at the polls.

    - From a fellow Gen Z voter

  • Money on the Wall: Andy Warhol - a new exhibition at Spritmuseum

    Written by Natalia Muntean

    “I like money on the wall. Say you were going to buy a 200 000 painting. I think you should take that money, tie it up and hang it on the wall,” said Andy Warhol in 1975. The new exhibition “Money on the Wall: Andy Warhol,” at Spritmuseum in the heart of Stockholm, examines the concept of Business Art—“the step that follows art,” as Warhol advocated. Curated by Blake Gopnik, art critic and one of the world’s most well-known experts on Warhol, the exhibition focuses on Warhol as a pioneer of the Business Art current, showcasing how he turned the processes of buying and selling into a crucial element of his artistic practice. In the 1950s, Andy Warhol thrived in commercial culture, creating ads and earning well. In the 1960s, he shifted to the uncertain life of an artist, focusing on mass consumption and declaring his commercial activities as art. Instead of simply depicting commerce, Warhol engaged in it directly, producing wallpaper, directing commercials, and even renting out friends as part of his Business Art concept. “Some say Andy Warhol was a sell-out. They are right: selling out was one of his most influential art forms,” says Gopnik.

    The exhibition showcases Warhol's work as a commercial artist in the 1950s, during which he was occasionally featured as a model. It includes pieces from his Pop Art era, highlighting his famous portraits of New York socialites and the Absolut Warhol paintings. These works are part of the future Absolut Art Collection and represent one of his most successful ventures into Business Art, marking the beginning of one of the most celebrated advertising campaigns in modern history. Works by postwar artists, such as Yves Klein, Chris Burden, and Lee Lozano, who, like Warhol, integrated business and finance into their art to reflect our economic realities, are also included in the selection. Additionally, the show showcases contemporary artists who explore similar themes, including Darren Bader, Andrea Fraser, Takashi Murakami, Carey Young, and the collective MSCHF. The exhibition will be available for viewing at Spritmuseum in Stockholm until April 27, 2025.
    Photo by Markus Olsson Mediabolaget

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