It’s not often that such excitement for a simple store opening occurs. Anticipation was palpable for the opening of the
ACNE boutique in Sydney last week - the collective’s first store in the Southern Hemisphere. The cult Swedish brand has an enthusiastic following – for their simple denims, leathers and monochrome androgyny.
Established in 1997 in Stockholm, the design collective dubbed themselves
ACNE, which stands for
Ambition to Create Novel Expressions – a far more apt description of their ethos than a teenage skin condition. The covetable recent collaboration with Alber Elbaz of Lanvin, the collectible and fascinating ACNE Paper magazine, the celebrity and fashion following – all these elements have combined to make ACNE a streetwear sleeper hit.
From Colette in Paris to Liberty in London, and now Paddington’s Glenmore Road fashion hub, ACNE Studio will rub shoulders with Ksubi, Kirrily Johnston, Willow and more.
The space itself is based on elements of an artist’s studio, with a nod to vintage and traditional European architecture.
“The idea of creating a studio instead of an ordinary fashion store is based upon the facts that Acne are a creative collective and that we wanted to share a bit of that spirit with our costumers. The concept speaks about creativity, lust, passion, poetry, eclecticism, pop-art and a lot about Studio,” comments Andreas Fornell, Architect, Acne Studios.
In line with the Northern Hemisphere, the studio will open with the spring/summer collection of denim, men’s and women’s ready-to-wear, accessories and a selection of pieces from ACNE’s new jewellery line. The collection is no wild departure from what ACNE does best – restrained, minimal pieces with an androgynous bent. This season creative director Jonny Johansson was influenced by the work of the Bauhaus – the innovative school of design of the 1920s, whose influence is immeasurable in the design world, from Modernist architecture to furniture design and beyond.
ACNE Studio Australia, 28 Glenmore Road, Paddington NSW 2025.