For spring/summer '24, Acne Studios took us on a hurried trip from the club to the afterparty in denim, leather and jersey looks that exuded effortless, on-the-go cool
For spring/summer '24, Acne Studios did what it does best. Practically, that’s denim, leather and jersey, slick minimalism punctuated by devil-may-care draping. Spiritually, that’s clothes that are, for lack of a better word, cool. Held at The Paris Observatory, which was draped in 7,350 square metres of off-white canvas by artist Lukas Gschwandtner for the occasion, the collection drew inspiration from an after-hours club or, more specifically, that anything-can-happen moment when the nightclub flicks on its lights and partiers scramble to determine what’s next. “I wanted to recreate the moment when the lights are turned on after a show, or after a party. A mood of anticipation,” says creative director Jonny Johansson. “That is a magical moment for me where anything is possible: the night could be over, but it might also just begin. Right there and then, things are more real and honest in some way.”
Johansson describes the collection as “elevated industrial”. “The industrial mood comes mostly from my passion for denim and the many ways we can manipulate this amazing fabric,” he says. Lest we forget, Acne Studios began 26 years ago with just 100 pairs of jeans and Johansson’s aptitude for the fabric has never wavered. This time around, there’s cracked, clay-covered denim, slung low – super low – on the hips, cut super skinny (sorry folks, skinny jeans are back). Postage stamp-sized cracked denim skirts seem to float around the body. Meanwhile, moulded leather forms a crinkly second skin, most notably by way of a pistachio green jacket paired with matching boy briefs (yes, leather briefs).
Walking to a pulsing, high BPM track by electronic duo Giant Swan, models appeared in a rush – that mad scramble to make it to the afters. “This is the attitude of the woman of the show,” says Johansson. “She’s doing many things and going places, so the tempo is higher and denser.” The pace lent itself especially well to swinging skirts, fashioned from jersey sleeves, effortlessly draped silk dresses with navel-baring cut-outs and skin-tight ribbed gowns that explode in a constructed ripple shape at the ankle (campaign star Kylie Jenner was wearing one in the front row). “There is a feeling of speed in the styling, like putting on clothes fast to go on a night out,” says Johansson. Wherever they’re going, we’re heading there too.
See the full Acne Studios SS24 collection below:
Acne Studios - SS24
