Acne Studios FW26: Between Aristocratic Elegance & Subcultural Style

Summary

• Celebrating its 30th anniversary, Acne Studios shifts toward a polished aesthetic, blending 1970s tailoring with the brand’s signature heritage codes.

• Co-founder Jonny Johansson explores style evolution through classic menswear, mixing traditional suiting with bold, denim-led pieces like trompe l’œil pants.

As Stockholm-based label Acne Studios celebrates its 30th anniversary in 2026, co-founder Jonny Johansson is reflecting on how style evolves over time.

In a statement, Johansson said, “You start off as the young brand; then suddenly, you have a legacy. Ours has formed from exploring the soul of denim and what this means to us.” He continued, musing about the centrality of denim and leather: “Denim has an eternally youthful identity, while being worn in such a way that its surface speaks to lived experience. Leather is similar. When enough of these pieces exist and penetrate subcultures and high society alike, they eventually gain their own kind of heritage and become established like other aspects of menswear.”

Compared to recent Acne seasons, one will notice that the playful, edgy attitude the brand is known for is subdued, making way for a more polished sensibility. From slim 1970s silhouettes to traditional tailoring and a ’90s edge, the brand’s FW26 lookbook showcases this dynamic through the Swedish brand’s signature lens.

Johansson confirms this toned-down turn: “This is a new narrative shaped by admiration rather than irony: knowledge accumulated, techniques refined and stylistic conventions remixed – all in the style of Acne Studios.” Overcoats and suits lean classic with traditional sartorial materials and colors like black, brown, and cream. The first look is an exemplar: a brown woolen coat is worn over solid shirting and paired with black pinstriped pants.

Slim trousers, turtleneck undershirts, and foulards tied at the neck convey a ’70s sensibility, enhanced by retro outerwear like shearling rancher coats and Western-style overshirts. A touch of prep fashion arrives in a look composed of canary trousers and a vintage blue crewneck with a white collar peeking through. Elsewhere, an all-white suit is worn with a pinstriped shirt and a satin mint-hued neckerchief.

Bolder, denim-led looks remind us of the Acne of today: a fuzzy violet cardigan is worn with pink-tinted trompe l’œil pants depicting photocopied jeans, and a hand-painted “1996” leather biker jacket is paired with distressed light-wash denim. According to Johansson, these details are a gentle reminder of time’s passage and are a “reflection of how classic codes evolve.”

See the gallery above for a full look at Acne Studios’ FW26 menswear collection.