In his youth, at least according to reports, Jonny Johansson was a guitarist in several rock bands. And looking at the collections of Acne Studios’ co-founder and creative director, that rock spirit has always been part of his design language—a powerful element that, combined with a deep understanding of youth culture, has helped shape the Swedish brand’s identity and success. Thirty years after its founding, Acne Studios continues to do the same without losing its distinctive traits: textured, painted, and distressed leather; outerwear that seems to anticipate what we’ll see on the street; and the blend of rock and grunge that never veers into nostalgia.
And for Spring/Summer 2027, Johansson picks up right where she left off. The first look already hints at what we’ll see throughout the entire collection: opening the runway is a draped maxi skirt, with that Victorian spirit à la Vivienne Westwood infused with punk—a theme that will run through the entire show in various forms. On top, one of the leather jackets that has always been part of Acne Studios’ signature style, this time transformed into a bomber jacket; beneath the skirt, however, pants peek out.
Now take this look and imagine remixing it endlessly: adding something, removing something else, changing a print, layering a fabric, or exaggerating a proportion. Building a collection by taking a single idea to the extreme may seem like one of the simplest exercises, but when the idea is strong enough, it also becomes one of the most effective. And here, in fact, the approach works because Johansson continues to bring seemingly distant worlds into collision.
Grunge and punk also meet the Victorian spirit this time around. We see it in the bows adorning shirts and jacket hems, in voluminous skirts, in vintage-inspired floral prints, in diamond patterns that seem plucked from another wardrobe, in boots, and in damask fabrics. Elements that could easily veer into retro are instead incorporated into contemporary silhouettes.
Draped skirts are one of the recurring motifs of the collection and are styled in countless ways, almost always worn over pants. This layering technique reappears look after look and is further enhanced by more everyday elements: simple tank tops, low-cut cowboy boots, and pants adorned with Western-inspired floral embroidery. Even the pins scattered across the garments contribute to this sense of a wardrobe built up over time. Inevitably, leather makes an appearance—a material that Acne Studios has transformed over the years into one of its most recognizable hallmarks—and it reappears primarily on pants and jackets.
It is this contrast that holds the SS27 collection together. A floral print that looks like it belongs on an antique fabric can create an extremely contemporary total look; a diamond pattern can appear on a pair of leather pants; an almost Victorian skirt can be paired with a tank top and a pair of boots. Acne Studios takes elements from different eras and subcultures and clashes them together until it becomes hard to tell where the romantic ends and the punk begins.
[📸 Instagram: acnestudios]
