About Us — Acne Studios Europe

Ambition to Create Novel Expressions

Acne Studios is a Stockholm-based fashion house founded in 1996, built on a multidisciplinary approach to ready-to-wear, footwear, accessories and denim. What began as part of a creative collective — the name once an acronym for Ambition to Create Novel Expressions — has grown into one of Europe’s most distinctive luxury houses, still guided from its home in Sweden and still driven by the same restless curiosity it started with.

Our Story

The Acne Studios story starts with denim. In 1997, founder and Creative Director Jonny Johansson produced around one hundred pairs of raw jeans with signature red stitching and gave them away to friends and family. The design found its way into the pages of the international style press, and a small Stockholm project quietly became a name people wanted to know. From those first hundred pairs, the house expanded — season by season, idea by idea — into full women’s and men’s collections, always keeping denim close to its heart.

Three decades on, that spirit of experimentation remains the constant. Acne Studios has never behaved like a conventional fashion label. Alongside its collections, the house creates magazines, books, furniture and exhibitions, treating culture not as a backdrop for clothing but as part of the same creative conversation.

Our Philosophy

Everything at Acne Studios flows from Jonny Johansson’s wide-ranging interests in photography, art, architecture and contemporary culture. That perspective shapes a design language defined by unexpected juxtapositions, meticulous attention to detail, an emphasis on tailoring, and an eclectic, often custom-developed use of materials and fabrics.

The result is clothing that feels considered rather than loud — pieces designed to be lived in, layered and returned to. We believe in craftsmanship over trend, in individuality over uniformity, and in the quiet confidence of a well-made garment. For us, luxury is not decoration. It is the integrity of the material, the precision of the cut and the freedom the wearer feels putting it on.

Craft and Materials

From raw denim and refined tailoring to leather goods, footwear, eyewear and accessories, each Acne Studios collection is developed with a deep respect for material and process. We work with custom-developed fabrics and carefully chosen partners to create pieces built to last, both in quality and in relevance. It is an approach rooted in Scandinavian design values — clean, functional, honest — but never afraid to surprise.

Acne Studios in Europe

Europe is where Acne Studios began, and it remains the heart of the house. From our origins in Stockholm to flagship boutiques in Paris, London, Milan, Copenhagen and beyond, our European stores are designed as spaces to experience the brand fully — architectural, tactile and unmistakably ours.

Shopping with Acne Studios Europe means access to the complete women’s and men’s collections, seasonal arrivals and archive-defining staples, delivered across the region with the service and care our community expects. Whether you visit us in person or online, you are stepping into a world where fashion, art and everyday life meet.

More Than a Label

Acne Studios has always been a studio in the truest sense — a place where ideas are made. That is why our work reaches beyond the wardrobe into publishing, design and cultural collaboration. We invite you to explore it, wear it, and make it your own.

Ambition to Create Novel Expressions — since 1996.