For his book Akris – A Century in Fashion Albert Kreimler selected nine pieces from the Akris archives to photograph. They were shot by Iwan Baan in the iconic building of the University of St. Gallen, a brutalist landmark designed by Water M. Förderer in 1963. Saint Gallen being the birthplace of Akris, it was a fitting location. 

These archival pieces then became the springboard for the inspiration for Akris’ Spring Summer 2023 collection. Shown in Paris yesterday, it was a staggering 72-look collection that included pieces that told the story of Akris and the Akris women over the course of the last century. 

In an homage to his father, the opening look was a reimagining of The Alpha, the first Akris cashmere double-faced coat, created by Max Kriemler. The strong, vivid hues shining in the collection come in all the shades of the rainbow. A color spectrum beautifully represented in Ugo Rondinone’s visual cosmos, particularly his rainbow works. WE ARE POEMS embodies the artist’s fascination with poetry emphasizing the subjective, the irrational, the emotional. The Swiss-born, New York-based artist believes that poetry–like art–needs no explanation, no thinking, but rather demands simply to be felt. Albert has selected this artwork as a symbol for the self-evident sensuality of Akris clothes and as a perfect representation for this moment. A hundred years ago, his grandmother Alice set out to define a woman’s presence and enhance her charisma, and that very much remains Albert’s mission today.

“Fashion is never a solo love affair,” Albert says. “The Hearts”, the first Akris print (Fall 1989) created by Gianpaolo Ghioldi, Albert’s valued print manufacturer in Como, Italy, is also revisited in the collection. The lace originates from Albert’s designs from the 1980s. “While searching for it, we realized the original laces had a strength that we could not find in any of today’s replacements,” Albert states. It took six months for the initial lace- maker in Calais to reproduce it.

A sketch is the departure of any creation; the first, spontaneous formulation of an idea. “Yet, a sketch would remain theoretical, my wishful thinking only, without my team and their interactions,” Albert states. “All of them, their experience, mastery, and imagination, are the very secret of Akris.”

In this collection, The Croquis celebrated in embroidery and print stands for the powerful impact of this collective. Witty, charming, and designed by Albert’s team as an anniversary surprise for him, it tells a very personal story.

“Let’s call it a rebeginning, an incentive to pause, a point in which everything can reappear or renew itself. A collection where past, present, and future co- exist. A look back to move forward into a new century!”

Discover all the looks below. 

@akrisofficial