Acne Studios
Case Study
This year marks the 30th anniversary of Acne Studios. Many people first encounter the brand through the oversized “Acne Studios Stockholm 1996” logo printed across sweatshirts and T-shirts. Despite its commercial success as a global fashion brand, Acne Studios remains committed to the experimental and multidisciplinary spirit that defined it from the beginning.
Founded in Stockholm in 1996 by Jonny Johansson, Mats Johansson, Jesper Kouthoofd (who would later cofound Teenage Engineering), and Tomas Skoging, ACNE began as a creative collective working across advertising, film, design, and video games. Fashion was not the original ambition. After 100 pairs of jeans made for friends and industry contacts became an unexpected hit, the company shifted its focus to fashion. One of the brand's early champions was Sofia Coppola. Shortly after completing Lost in Translation (2003), she chose a pair of Acne jeans for a Vogue shoot. The story goes that the jeans caught the attention of Carine Roitfeld, then editor-in-chief of Vogue Paris, helping introduce the young Scandinavian label to a wider fashion audience.
The brand's world extends far beyond clothing. In 2005, Jonny Johansson and CEO Mikael Schiller launched Acne Paper, the biannual magazine that became Acne Studios' publishing platform for fashion, art, and culture. That same spirit continues through the brand's collaborations with artists, from runway soundtracks by Robyn and Yung Lean, to campaigns featuring Charli XCX, Frieze Week installations, and the Larry Stanton exhibition series. Even its stores often feel closer to galleries than traditional retail spaces.
Over the past three decades, Acne Studios has remained remarkably consistent in its creative vision, largely because Jonny Johansson has continued to lead the brand's creative direction. In 2018, the company sold a 41% minority stake to IDG Capital and I.T Group to support its international expansion, particularly in Asia, and accelerate its e-commerce growth, while Johansson and CEO Mikael Schiller retained majority ownership and creative control. Thirty years on, Acne Studios still feels less like a fashion label than an ongoing creative project. I'm excited to see where the next decade takes the brand.
Images 1, 3, 4, 6, and 7 are courtesy of Acne Studios. Image 2 is courtesy of Architectural Digest. Image 5 is courtesy of AnOther Magazine.
