Sypron

Big post/rant time. I apologise in advance for the length. I make no apologies for the content.
I've changed my tune/opinion/stance on FW-1415. It's just, disappointment. A few good ideas held back by too many bad ones. The price tags are no longer justified.

 

Unpopular opinion imminent:

 

I've gotta say, I'm pretty disappointed with the collection overall...

 

 

Well said firstdoorontheleft. Acronym means something different to everyone. I have my own opinion about what Acronym means and is supposed to embody, and to me FW-1415 is an imposter. To me Acronym is technical performance in civilian wear. It's as hard-wearing, waterproof, comfortable as the best adventure gear while having the style to suit the rest of us in the real world. It's a cut that's unrestrictive and free without looking like a Keikogi or sweatpants. And everything about an Acronym garment should make you think "someone thought about this". Someone decided to put the press stud on a loop of fabric because it's hard to close them without bracing. Someone put a garage at the top of the zipper trail so earphones can come out of the pocket without rain getting in. Someone cut the hood so it keeps a rain-sheltering broad-brim without compromising peripheral vision. Someone hid 7 pockets inside a blazer while keeping it classy enough for a dinner date, with the fit to match.

 

To me, that's what Acronym is about. And when I look at FW-1415, that's not what I see. I see form over function. I see a step backwards. I see unconsidered ideas from what can easily be considered as one of the most considered brands out there.

 

Compare it against, for instance, the FW-1213 collection. It had a spread of hard, light and softshells. A good variety of textiles and a great selection of garments designed especially for winter. And within each class of material, you have a spread of forms and fits. A softshell blazer at one end, a gore-tex body hammer at the other, and every gap in between filled with something that really lives up to Acronym's standards. Anyone can wear a DS-HD2 and look good, or a GT-J29, and what's more they can wear them enjoying every detail and consideration that Acronym has to offer.  Even the CP3 has it's practicality, despite being avant-garde. It's unorthodox, but still of immence utility in the right circumstances (I would certainly be happy to have one in a snow storm).

 

Where in the FW-1213 collection every item is a worthy purchase, without only a minor flaw, almost everything in FW-1415 seems like it's unfinished or has a glaring fault.

 

J41 is novel, but absurdly impractical. It should go without saying that a zipper on the back is not more efficient than one on the front. It offers no benefits over a regular zipper, and introduces numerous problems. Firstly, donning the garment is made more difficult. Secondly, wearing the jacket open is made less practical. In a regular situation you might open a jacket to access pockets on the layer underneath. Impossible with J41. And you might argue that it makes taking the jacket off easier, in the case of cars or with messenger bags. I would argue that Acronym already solved this problem with vehicular escape zip, without compromising the rest of the functionality. And what is the point of a gore-tex jacket without a hood? It doesn't insulate, and it won't keep you dry. A hooded gore-tex jacket, or anything with insulation, is going to serve better in any situation.

 

J1A is a classic design, of course, but is long overdue for patching. It was really superseded by the J36 and J28, and is in many ways inferior. Acronym already improved upon the J1A, why do they keep releasing it in the original state? The chest vent is needlessly difficult to open or close with one hand, as there is nothing for the zipper to pull 'against'. The interops zipper is using the same design as the first release, without a camlock or WR tape. J43 is using a canted zip with dual press studs and an internal stormflap, why isn't J1A? Same goes for the storm flap pocket. Regular 3mm zip with no camlock. The main zipper uses a triple-layer placket, which is needlessly cumbersome to close. The J43 has managed to achieve a single-layer placket while maintaining escape zip AND press stud fixtures. Credit where credit is due, they did update the hood design from single-fold to contour (much better wind resistance and appearance).

 

J40 is simply overpriced. It lacks many features that should be considered ACRNM standard, yet is price as high as Stotz pieces come. No collar or hood means less elemental protection and less versatility. No forcelock. No escape zip, or even two-way zip. No speedlock. The center 'expansion' panel barely affords 2 inches of extra width. That's not expansion. Your chest 'expands' that much when you breathe. The cuff features both a zipper AND velcro adjusters. You don't need both. Why not just stick to velcro and gravity pockets like all the other designs (J1, J27, J28, J29, J30, J31, J32, J34, J36, J38, etc)?

 

P16/P16A. It's simply a step back from P14. They went from having a pant with superb freedom of movement in a clean cut to simple having superb freedom of movement. P16 just looks, bow-legged. Deformed. Unusual. I'm not going to argue with having cargo pockets on the P16A, that's fantastic, but they're in a terrible position. There's already a deep pocket there.

 

J43 is definitely the closest thing to a finished product here. Plenty of innovation, and exactly what I would expect from every new item in a given collection. The main zipper has received some excellent upgrades, the press stud placement in particular is a warm welcome (especially when in interops mode). Also, all the new jackets should get that canted interops zip. But it's not without faults. I see the point of having a cyclone-proof hood, but they over-did it. You lose all peripheral vision with something that conical. And if you're going to try to make an element-defying hood, the jacket simply needs to be cut longer. There's no two ways about it, the jacket is needlessly short. I stress needlessly, because there is literally no reason it couldn't be another 4-5 inches longer. And for some absurd reason, no gravity pockets.

 

Now, some of you will claim I'm being too critical here. But really, I'm only comparing Acronym against itself. These designs don't live up to the brand's legacy. It's like we're seeing the scraps from the cutting room floor, or someone else trying to replicate the same ideas and missing the mark. Acronym seems to be pushing from function to form. From practical to fashionable. From consumer to runway. I no longer get the impression that the goal here is to produce state-of-the-art innovations for everyday clothes, and that's really what appealed to me in the first place.

 

ACR is evolutionary, the only downside is that I think all have expectation that runs so high that the reality cannot or rarely deliver upon that.

 

But for just a tiny outfit I think ACRONYM is nothing short on revolutionary in its refusal to nothing else than be itself.

 

I've got no expectation for Acronym to produce new items or 'push the envelope' with every release. Far from it. I think Acronym has already designed the right items. They just need to produce more of them, in more textiles, sizes, and colours. Small refinements every year are what makes perfection, not massive overhauls and radical changes in direction. SS-14 was great for this. It re-ran designs that we already know are in demand. How long did it take for WS-J25 to sell out? Days? Hours?

 

i've always found that the dudes who are seriously into acronym (and visvim as well) are almost identical to apple fanboys in that they can seemingly never, ever admit when they don't like something or even acknowledge that the company is not faultless and has come up with a bad idea or design. furthermore, all three have such a cultish following (in a bad way) and its customers have drank so much kool aid that they will literally pay anything to continue being a part of the collective hivemind.

 

saying that, its nice to see that some people have changed their outlooks slightly with more buyers openly (and honestly) criticising aspects they don't like about particular garments or selections as opposed to just gushing over absolutely everything and it all being one huge circle jerk. the only way things will be improved are if flaws are highlighted and recognised.

 

I do hope so. I could go on for literally hours with suggested improvements for this brand, but I've got no idea if anyone is really listening. 

 

 

I've actually found a lot of the discussion in this thread to be helpful in its criticality of flaws — for instance, I'll probably never buy a piece made from EPIC Amphibious Cotton based on the accounts of how quickly it fades / wears out.

 

I keep hearing conflicting reports about this. steph was saying that Epic lasted for a few years while Etaproof wore out prematurely. 

 

After trying it out, I have to say it does not make a lot of sense being worn backwards (zip in front).  Everything falls and sits wrong.  Zipper in the back makes sense, but would definitely take some practice to perfect.  Interesting concept but not my cup of tea.

 

There's no way it's designed to be worn with the zip in the front. The pockets are on the front.