Staged around two giant thrones made out of recycled tires sculpted by Villu Jaanisoo, Acne Studios’ FW24 show certainly had a need for speed. We’re living in the age of the Motomami, where automotive wear and fashion collide. Jonny Johansson’s 50 looks served no less than that at Paris Fashion Week. In attendance and styled in straight off-the-runway looks were celebrities like NCT’s Johnny Suh, Emma Chamberlain, and Willow Smith.
Denim and leather have been the main pillars of Acne Studios since its founding years. This show continued the tradition accompanied by knitwear, fur, and zippers. Zippered heels, zippered leather strapless dresses, zippered leather off-the-shoulder bodysuits, and more believe it or not. Upon further inspection, it looks like the zippers were meant to resemble their reworked Bowlina bag and although I don’t hate it, it was a lot – and perhaps overkill. But what is fashion if not unconventional at times? Despite being shocked to see the Forever 21-esque circle pull zippers on the runway in 2024, the leather coats that were sculpted onto the models’ bodies remained some of my favorites in the collection.
We can’t talk about Acne without talking about denim. Canadian suits in brown, white, and black glistened through the room as if they were covered in some sort of tar, paired with what looked like denim mules. I hope my eyes are not deceiving me because those shoes might be the most exciting item of the show. We’ve seen these full denim looks from the brand before but somehow they’re enticing every time. Perhaps it’s the interesting proportions.
Another favorite of mine was the mesh “Lampshade” dress. As mentioned, Acne has a history of distorted proportions, and the movement of the mesh being held up by the boning contrasted wonderfully with the rigid leather and denim. Further, the visible boning and monochromatic color scheme keeps the brand close to its minimalist Scandinavian roots.
For accessories, I was happy to see the Multipocket bag make a comeback in new colorways and materials. Still, I do believe we’re straying away from the mini and embracing the ludicrously capacious bag. Which is why Acne gave us both to pick from in this show- between the Bowlina bag and a new wide strap hobo-bag-looking purse, there’s truly something for everyone. The sunglasses with a silver heart charm that reads “Acne” will be very popular this year, I imagine, as well as the backdrop necklace of a padlocked chain.
Overall, this show felt very Acne. I can’t say any of it felt revolutionary to the future of fashion but I do think it felt true to the brand. If I could predict anything it would be that the floor-length denim trenches and the knit turtleneck bustiers are gonna be the It pieces of this collection. Johansson knows what he does well- denim and leather- and Acne’s cult following loves him for it, as do I.
Words by Beth Rodriguez
Graphics by Gavin Bacher