Acne Studios celebrates its 30th anniversary between heritage and irreverence

Acne Studios celebrates its 30th anniversary

In 1996, Jonny Johansson launched ACNE (Ambition to Create Novel Expressions) and his first collection. At the time, it laid the foundations for a pared-down luxury streetwear. His designs stood at the opposite end of the surrounding grunge aesthetic, through a functional, precise and anti-trend approach. Acne Studios thus championed a durable, authentic, and ultimately “cool” wardrobe.

Thirty years later, the Scandinavian brand, now known as Acne Studios, has lost none of its sense of style and unveiled its Fall/Winter 2026-2027 show at the Collège des Bernardins during Paris Fashion Week. But it is now time to face the music. For the occasion, each room is named after a colour, and the portals the models walk through stand as thresholds, as transitions between what has been and what will be. “Since 1996, my obsessions have shaped Acne Studios. Its legacy unites us all, and we carry it forward,” Jonny Johansson shared in a press release.

A show echoing the 2010s

In the past seasons, the 2010s have largely inspired designers. However, it has not always been a success for everyone. The strength of that era lay in its eclectic mix. Fashion could be inclusive, accessible, relaxed and retro, while still maintaining a form of aristocratic elegance.

“I have in mind a sort of mental library, a set of elements that guide me. It represents the different historical moments, musical references and cultural inspirations that feed the brand’s collective creativity. Ahead of this show, I was thinking back to 2010, when we made a runway inside Lord Snowdon’s apartment in Kensington Palace. It felt disruptive and captured a mood. Today, interiors seem to carry a darker mood. But there is also an attitude among these women,” Jonny Johansson commented on this topic.

When preppy style meets counterculture

The collection he refers to was the Spring/Summer 2011 one, which played on the clash between the show’s relaxed silhouettes and the establishment references of the setting, decorated by Princess Margaret. It is this clash, rather than the period pieces themselves, that Jonny Johansson reactivates here – preppy versus counterculture.

Biker jackets meet tapered jeans, tailored jackets are worn around the neck, oversized Prince of Wales checks and a hydrangea motif echo the wallpaper with a grunge sensibility. Then, come the poetic silhouettes. Embellished fluid dresses and skirts drawn from Paul Kooiker’s series of portraits of art students, presented last year at the Acne Paper Palais Royal gallery.

Without ever falling into nostalgia, the designer revamps his signature silhouettes, imbuing them with an elegance that feels both intellectual and contemporary. The Acne Studios woman moves forward, wearing fur-trimmed ankle boots or pointed pumps. XXL or medium-size bags dominate the catwalk, serving as signature pieces within the looks. This play on proportions and references puts style first. We are eager to see what Acne Studios has in store in this new era.

All the looks from the Acne Studios Fall/Winter 2026-2027 show