Acronym Brand - Part 1: Who is Acronym Agency? — Nam Tran

In my previous article introducing Techwear, I briefly mentioned Acronym and the influence of Acronym Agency on Techwear. Today, I'll discuss Acronym in more detail from my personal perspective. Through this, I hope to help everyone better understand Acronym and the essence of Techwear (authentic products, without hashtags).

When it comes to Acronym, I think the majority of the Vietnamese techwear community know about it through two sources: "What is ABC wearing today?" and its relationship with Nike. I'm no exception. As a sneakerhead and a huge fan of the AF1 family, I learned about Acronym through the Lunar Force 1 collaboration with Nike. I still remember my first comment on the Acronym LF1 when images of it were leaked online: "I'm not saying this to flatter her, but this girl is ugly." * ”**  For me at that time, the Acronym LF1 was an insult to the silhouette of the AF1 family.

Ironically, for some reason, I felt compelled to buy those Acronym LF1s from a familiar reseller. It wasn't under-retail, but it was close to retail price. My reseller friend agreed. "I'm not saying this to flatter her, but this girl is ugly." * ”**I vividly remember the day I received it. The feeling of wearing it completely changed my perspective on the AF1s, and even the AM1s and AM90s I already owned. Maybe I'm exaggerating, but for me, it truly felt like stepping onto fresh grass after a long time of wearing shackles on my feet (obviously, it's an exaggeration, of course, Lunarlon isn't Concealed Airbag). It's soft and comfortable where it needs to be, firm where it needs to be, comfortable and easy to use. That's everything Acronym puts its DNA into – approaching products/materials/problems through practical application rather than visual observation.

A brief history of Acronym: Acronym was founded in 1994 in Munich, Germany. In its early days, Acronym operated as a freelance consulting and design agency for the outdoor sports brand Burton. Acronym is famous for its Analog MD Clone Jacket design, which was named TIMES magazine's Technology Product of the Year in 2002.

Alongside its "merchant" business, Acronym applied its knowledge and connections in the garment industry to create its own branded products. With the idea of ​​bringing outdoor sports technology into everyday clothing, Acronym launched the KIT-1 in 2002, becoming a leader in the Performance Wear (or Techwear) fashion line.

To understand Acronym, you first need to view the brand from the perspective of a design and consulting agency rather than a fashion house (this is also how Acronym sees itself). While Acronym releases products twice a year, Autumn/Winter and Spring/Summer like other fashion houses, the products released are not part of a complete collection with a story or theme. Each product is a "collection" in its own way by Acronym. “A collection” of functions. 

Take the famous American muscle car, the Ford Mustang, as an example. Despite going through many generations and variants – some prefer the '65, some the '08, some the '69 Boss 429 – each production version carries the Mustang DNA and always features significant improvements over its predecessor. The Acronym is no different.

Instead of carrying a profound story about life philosophy, society, and so on, each season of Acronym is simply an evolution, a breakthrough, a problem solved. Each product is an upgrade of the previous version released.

Throughout my research into Acronym's products, I've encountered numerous criticisms about their "lack of ideas," "repetitive designs," and "boring"... but looking back at Acronym's DNA and workflow, it's quite understandable that they can't release 10-20 products in a season. As I said, Acronym approaches products/materials/problems through practical application. Obviously, you need time to gather user data. When you set a goal of creating a product that can truly endure for years, you can't expect results after just one year, right? Look, a shirt or a pair of pants isn't like a website or a digital banner where you get interaction metrics or hot points immediately, right? Beyond simply collecting data from users interacting with the product, Acronym also collects data from how users' belongings and living environments interact with their products (which areas of fabric wear out faster, in which situations items tend to fall out of bags, and the reasons why these areas fray quickly...).

Consider the J1A jacket. Since its (arguably) mass-market debut with the Kit-1, it has been continuously improved and is almost always released annually in various variants.

J1A Versions Through the Ages

Each reissued product is subtly adjusted here and there. Many things aren't even mentioned in the product description. You have to wear it, experience it, and "abuse" it to appreciate the refinements. If you're lucky enough to own both the old and new versions, you might even see the upgraded durability of the later models.

This explains the strong influence of military apparel on the majority of Acronym's products. All military apparel isn't made for flashiness or to impress others (like comparing real and replicas on the battlefield). Everything from the fabric to the design is developed with functionality as the top priority. It's like, "Okay, this is a desert battlefield, how can we ensure the soldiers don't get too hot?", "How can we make it easiest for soldiers to carry and use their firepower?"... Military products are, of course, funded and researched by organizations with sufficient economic and human resources to accelerate the "research and development" (R&D) process.

They are created with functionality as the primary goal, and those functions must perform optimally within the context in which they are designed. Acronym saw the potential in this, and combined with experience designing outdoor sportswear (not just any outdoor sport, but skiing, a sport requiring high levels of protection from clothing), has created products with a strong military influence, such as the P1 pants, the J3, or the 3A-SR1 holster hidden inside the J19 jacket...

It was precisely this borrowing of ideas and materials from the early period that laid the foundation for later designs. From his personal perspective, Acronym borrowed ideas from many branches of the military, nations, and eras. Some other "notable" examples besides the P1 pants and J3 jacket listed above include:

(To be fair, if you take a closer look, you'll see that the vast majority of menswear products are "sampled," borrowing ideas from military products.)

Beyond its foundation in military and outdoor sports apparel research under harsh conditions, Acronym skillfully applies ergonomics from industrial design to fashion design. Ergonomics is the science that studies the relationship between humans and their environment in three domains: physical, cognitive, and organizational. It seeks to identify and eliminate all factors that are detrimental to the user, ensuring the product achieves optimal suitability, especially when using products with new manufacturing technologies. Acronym's design decisions always ensure a smooth and seamless interaction with their products. For example, the pocket placement is optimized for easy access, the angle of the pocket prevents items from sagging and damaging the product's shape, and the use of suction to position small items like keys, coins, and pocket knives in the DeepPockets. For me, this is what sets Acronym apart from modern fashion, which has been and continues to be ravaged by fast fashion and the dizzying pace of fashion trends.

Acronym products are unlike any other clothing I've ever owned. In the early days, all I had (closest to Acronym) was a NikeLab ACG Alpine FW16 jacket and Cargo pants FW17. Switching between those and other clothes in my wardrobe (all black, of course) – Levi's jeans, Rock Republic, Laguna Beach Double Stitches… an Abercrombie puffer vest, The North Face downfill… – that alone showed me the limitations and heaviness of conventional clothing (not to mention that it wasn't stylish or cool, but of course, style and coolness are by-products, a consequence of Acronym's approach to clothing through functionality). Curiosity drove me to explore the differences in why this bag is placed here, why the zipper is on this side instead of the other,... it's all a whirlwind in my brain (and my kidneys 🥺). Unfortunately, I have to say you have to own an Acronym product, you have to touch it, use it, abuse it to understand its appeal. It's interesting in the sense that one fine day it snows heavily on your head and you realize, "Oh, now I understand why this hat is called a funnel hood," or one intensely sunny day you see the difference between Acronym's DS and Enfin Levé's DS.... That moment "Ah, now I understand." This is the second reason I like Acronym products and brands that Acronym is involved with (the first reason is because its main color is black :v). Even now, almost 5 years after owning the J56 shirt, it still occasionally brings me moments of joy. "Ah, now I understand."

As a graphic designer, I dare say that Acronym's products represent the pinnacle of Product Experience and User Interface/UX. Beyond the seamless interaction between you and the product, and between you and your surroundings, the details below, for me, an average consumer, represent the ultimate in apparel design.

These are just a few examples I quickly picked up online. As I said, there are many more interesting things that you'll only experience after using Acronym products for a while, that "ah, now I understand" moment. It's sophisticated, it's perfect, and it makes a design-nerd like me feel "excited," like watching an 18+ movie, okay? If we compare the world of fashion to other industries, Acronym is the Apple of smart telecommunications devices, the Helvetica of graphic design, and the Rolex Submariner 1954 of wristwatches.

When you say, "Oh, that looks great on you," or "You look so cool," okay, fine, thank you. But the driving force behind Acronym, guiding its products and those it's involved in, is the idea of ​​empowering the wearer. The products are always optimized, blurring the limitations of conventional clothing, so you always have the best and most comfortable experience. Modern life already has so many things to worry about; at Acronym, you find peace, protection, and a proactive mindset in every daily situation.

Coming to Acronym is like going back to 13-15 years ago when I was a high school senior, skipping class at Ly Tu Trong every night, riding my Cub motorbike to scour every corner of Ba Chieu market, Nhat Tao area, and shops selling "imported Thai goods" like 2Kayz near Le Van Sy bridge, Sharks shop on Vo Van Tan street... to hunt for Pepé pants, Joker Brand shirts, LRG shirts, Bape, and second-hand shoes. When you're a kid still asking your family for money, buying something you like is incredibly exciting, and your connection to that item grows. Plus, you build relationships during these "hunting" trips, exchange knowledge, and have Yahoo! Messenger conversations. "Come visit 2Kayz, buddy! We have xyz back in stock"... All of these things help to increase the value of the item you get far beyond the amount of money you spend, and you cherish the item more as a result.

Nowadays, when everything I mentioned above is condensed into a few incomplete lines of text like "WTB..." "CIH..." (it's funny that some people still skip class to go to cafes and type those messages), and the rampant, indiscriminate use of logos (logos - loco - mental) diminishes the values ​​and identity of street fashion. People use item A simply because Star B wears it, use item C simply because it's readily available, without questioning why it's there, without appreciating the small details that tell the story behind the product, and without even caring about the brand, as long as it resembles brand XYZ. An item is passed around more often than a blowup doll among male college students. Perhaps we're entering a new era of streetwear, an era where all people need is an outfit that's stylish enough to get 100 or 200 likes, then sell it and move on to some other artificial value. I think we should list the price of a pair of pants and also state how many likes it will add to the overall outfit.

Throughout my time learning about Acronyms, I've realized how much is being misused in life. People use them because they're readily available. When you become aware of what you're misusing, and begin to appreciate it and the world around you, you've taken the first step toward increasing your personal awareness and, consequently, mastering your own life.

Sounds like a generic self-help bs from a pyramid scheme saleman, so I'd say you do you, just make sure you ask yourself "am I really happy doing this? Or just trying to fill up a void?" Anyway, I wish you peace and happiness

NEXT POST:///////////////////////////////

Thanks to Hoang Lam and Le Quoc Anh for providing the materials.