Spanish designer Archie Alled-Martinez upended the codes of early Aughts Abercrombie & Fitch for his latest collection. It was an effort in admitted self-indulgence, as Alled-Martinez wanted to capture the nostalgia of his teen years but reframe them through the lens of today’s queer youth culture.
“In this new generation, I’ve seen the way they express and live their sexuality, it’s nothing like we did when I was a teenager,” said the 31-year-old. He looks back at those years as a more sexually repressive time, and created this collection as a celebration of progress. “I wanted to bring back those 2004, 2005 elements that were very heterosexual and camp them up.”
Convenient then that the collection also plays into current trends as fashion revisits that era, with extremely low-rise cargo pants putting colorful boxers on display. There was an inescapable air of Americana in a varsity jacket and a denim baseball uniform. Tight T-shirts were presented with a series of sexually suggestive scripts, while another read “Enfant Terrible” — an update of an Alled-Martinez personal favorite and the title of the accompanying film depicting teen lust.
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The Spanish designer said sales have doubled since he pivoted from knitwear into more contemporary pieces. The collection will be a hit with his young clientele, but the short shorts are only for the brave.