Acne Studios Reflects on 30 Years of Legacy With Its FW26 Collection
Creative Director Jonny Johansson remixes preppy codes and brand signatures to bridge the gap between past and future classics.
Summary
- Acne Studios celebrates its 30th anniversary with the Fall/Winter 2026 Womenswear collection, reflecting on the brand’s expansive creative legacy and historical touchpoints
- Creative Director Jonny Johansson reimagines classic house codes, officially reviving the iconic 1996 denim cut alongside cropped aviator jackets, preppy knits, and destabilized traditional patterns
- The runway presentation featured a salon-style enfilade setting and a moody Portishead soundtrack, perfectly echoing the collection’s blend of aristocratic minimalism and youthful rebellion
Now in its monumental 30th year, Acne Studios is taking a moment to reflect on its legacy—not as a fixed construct, but as an ever-evolving perspective on time. For the Fall/Winter 2026 Womenswear collection, Creative Director Jonny Johansson masterfully questions and remixes the brand’s heritage, bridging the gap between historical touchpoints and future classics.
Drawing inspiration from the brand’s collective memory, Johansson specifically looked back to a disruptive 2010 runway held in Lord Snowdon’s Kensington Palace apartment. Translating that distinct mood for today, the FW26 presentation was set within an enfilade of salons, creating an architectural representation of memory where portals marked what has come before and what might follow. Within this space, aristocratic notions of dress met a distinct form of minimalism, successfully blurring the boundaries between counter-culture and the establishment through a youthful, preppy sensibility.
Throughout the collection, Acne Studios confidently reaffirmed its most beloved design signatures. Punchy, cropped leather biker and aviator jackets were styled alongside sharp, slung tailoring and coordinated preppy knit sets. Most notably, the brand’s classic 1996 denim cut was officially revived, offering slim and tapered silhouettes that conversed effortlessly with traditionally shaped skirts reimagined as emblems of contemporary intellectual femininity.
Adding dynamic visual interest, traditional patterns were playfully destabilized across the garments. Prince of Wales checks shifted in scale and color, technical satin featured tapestry-like hortensia motifs, and animal prints were heavily abstracted. Extra-long silk scarves incorporated larger-than-life portraits from Paul Kooiker’s art school series, cementing the brand’s roots as a creative collective. Grounding the looks, footwear was defined by bent, pointy-toe pumps and stretch boots with furry accents. Rounding out the accessories lineup, the brand introduced a new eccentrically tilted, single-handle structured bag alongside the highly anticipated return of the Camero in a weekender size.
Set to the melancholic and defiant sounds of Portishead’s Roads and The Rip, the Acne Studios Fall/Winter 2026 collection proves that true heritage isn’t just a celebration of the past—it is the very foundation for the future.
