What’s So Special About a Rainbow-Check Scarf?
The rainbow-check pattern is hard to miss.
It can be spotted on scarves in cities across the world, including some where temperatures rarely approach freezing. Those scarves come in many palettes and they can be purchased for hundreds of dollars at department stores, or for tens of dollars from street vendors. They are worn by various people and are as likely to be seen on subways as they are through the windows of chauffeured cars.
The original mohair-blend design was introduced by Acne Studios in 2019. At more than eight feet long, the style, called Vally, costs $320 and is almost as much a blanket as it is a scarf, an accessory that is typically between four and six feet in length.
The Swedish brand had been selling extra-long scarves for years before releasing the rainbow-check Vally, said Mattias Magnusson, Acne Studios’s chief executive. The scarf, he added, was inspired by a vintage chair upholstered in a plush, sorbet-plaid fabric.
“Our team got excited about concepting ideas based on it,” Mr. Magnusson said.
Acne Studios introduced the original mohair-blend design, called Vally, in 2019. It is distinguished by a large, white, rectangular tag.Credit…Ye Fan for The New York Times
Like other Acne scarves, it can be identified by a large, white, rectangular tag that was developed to resemble labels on wool blankets like those from centuries-old brands such as Hudson’s Bay and Woolrich. Mr. Magnusson said some people have started to wear the scarf with its tag facing outward to show its provenance.
A representative for Acne Studios said sales of the rainbow-check Vally had increased each year since it was introduced. The style is sold at more than 380 locations — a mix of Acne stores and other retailers — across the world, the representative added, including the brand’s store in Singapore, where temperatures rarely drop below 75 degrees Fahrenheit. (It has sold out at that location, the representative said.)
