Turning thirty is scary. Especially for those who still feel youth coursing through their veins. That was the fear that catalysed Acne Studios’ Fall/Winter 2026 collection. After three decades of the brand, Jonny Johansson wrestled with that transversal challenge. It’s even tougher when one thinks of the spot the brand occupies in the zeitgeist. Ever since its inception, Acne has been the brand of everyone’s youth. The Tumblr reblog candy, the Instagram screenshot magnet, the TikTok like bait.
Johansson thankfully resists the temptation to do a retrospective. It would be nonsensical for a brand that has always put itself forward. Still, this season, something is different. It’s not exactly a coming-of-age moment, more of a celebration over getting there. It isn’t nostalgia, and it isn’t a crisis. Acne Studios tropes are elevated, used to spin classics. Shirts are stitched together to become one. Polos are cropped and tight to the body. Suede loafers have tassels sketched on them in white.
Of course, the classics are omnipresent, even if slightly twisted. The printed jeans for which Acne has become synonymous in recent years are here, but now the same effect is passed into bags and shoes. Jackets have their heavy leather distressed. Camero bags are enlarged into the XXL weekenders of our dreams. It isn’t nostalgia, it isn’t crisis. It’s thirty.
Words by Pedro Vasconcelos
