At Acne Studios Spring Summer 2026, archetypes are dismantled and rebuilt into a charged vision of identity, craft, and presence.
Summary
- Jonny Johansson questions gendered archetypes through tailoring, denim, lace, and transparency.
- Robyn’s exclusive soundtrack deepened the show’s exploration of shifting femininity.
- Accessories and denim reworks highlighted the collection’s experimental energy.
At the Collège des Bernardins in Paris, Acne Studios turned a vaulted medieval hall into a moody salon, a charged backdrop for a collection intent on dismantling archetypes. Jonny Johansson’s Spring Summer 2026 vision examined how women’s and men’s codes might collapse into each other, drawing strength from tension.
Identity in this lineup was deliberately unstable. Tailoring appeared offbeat and reconfigured: suit jackets cut loose, uniform shirts worn with ease, silhouettes suggesting power without stiffness. Lace, patched and sculpted into second-skin shapes, emphasized craft while pushing against traditional notions of delicacy. Johansson spoke about creativity as a way of shifting perspective, of making the world appear altered, and these clothes carried that impulse.
The mix of materials added to the dialogue. Lumberjack flannels tucked into sheer slip skirts. Poplin softened to near disarray. Leather and suede looked weathered, spray-painted, or waxed, as though touched by hard work. Knits alternated between fine layering pieces and chunky sweaters with cutout grids. Denim was reimagined into tactile experiments: slashed apart and pieced back, coated with papery surfaces, or latex-rubberized versions of Acne’s familiar straight-leg fit.
Accessories pushed individuality further. Square-toe loafers with wedged heels, exaggerated cowboy boots climbing the thigh, and upward-tilting pumps reshaped footwear codes. Aviators, big-buckled belts, and statement earrings collaged from amber and turquoise carried the eclectic spirit. Bags also evolved: the Camero appeared in fringed and leather forms, alongside a new weekender, the Hotel, practical yet sculptural.
Visual artist Pacifico Silano’s collages set a homoerotic undertone in the space, while Robyn provided a soundtrack that echoed the theme of reframing femininity. Her re-recorded track with Yung Lean underscored the push and pull between sentiment and strength. She noted the synchronicity between her lyrics and Johansson’s questioning of identity, both probing familiar tropes from new angles.
With Acne Studios approaching its 30th year, Johansson’s Spring Summer 2026 collection felt less about nostalgia than about writing a new vocabulary. Strong, playful, and restless in their freedom, these characters were never confined to one reading. They invite us to keep looking, listening, and reconsidering.
