By Ethan Hall
This year is Acne Studios' 30th anniversary, and this collection feels like an ode to the old Acne menswear of the 2010s. Acne has gradually been moving on from their genderless celestial alien-rockstar image of the previous few collections, and it seems they have arrived at the final destination.
Left: Acne Studios Men's SS26; Right: Acne Studios FW24 (Images courtesy of Acne Studios)
FW26 delivered us a very prim Acne collection, on the surface. The images drip with nepotistic authority, as models glare from behind 60s film quiffs. They look like the type of guys you see drinking Aperol Spritz at 11am on Tuesday evoking a sarcastic thought process that usually makes you wonder why they’re not at their job and why they have such expensive clothes. The collection appears formal and bourgeoisie at first glance, however, this is only the foundation that the collection operates under. Like their famous trompe-l’oeil, in reality the collection is boldly Acne still. For an anniversary collection, obviously trompe-l’oeil was a cornerstone of the actual garments, too. One look mocks a double denim getup with denim coloring over an almost rubbery textile, creating a very stiff and strange silhouette (a reference to a FW11 womenswear look).
Left: Acne Studios Men's FW26; Right: Acne Studios Women's FW11 (Images courtesy of Acne Studios)
Past the primness, Acne has injected the collection with bodacious colors and fabrics to bring the collection to life. There is a violently purple mohair that scratches at your eyes, but in a weirdly satisfying Acne way, like mohair itself. One look strikes the eyes with a kitschy blue crewneck and yellow trousers that remind you of a cheap painting of a beach but is redeemed by the slick silhouette. Some of the color garments have a little more authority in quietness than the dramatic impression those looks leave behind. The flared trousers, which come in a bold shiny leather or deep maroon velvet, have a grandiose silhouette, holding the model up in a giraffe posture. The jackets, shirts and shoes are what largely keep the momentum of the collection toward the formal, prim and proper fashion, however, there is one jacket that almost flies under the radar as a blazer. Striped to produce almost a Pleats Please look to it, the silky fabric cascades around the body with its lack of structure.
Acne Studios Men's FW26 (Images courtesy of Acne Studios)
Acne’s rockstar character still haunts the 60s looks, characterized by straight leg, form fitting Hedi-esque ripped jeans and modernized by cool guy selvedge denim. This anniversary year doesn’t seem to fall in the nostalgia trap of unoriginality that typically grips institutions of the industry like Acne. Instead, Acne has presented an homage what has come previously and acknowledge the progression and innovation the brand always persists for.
Acne Studios Men's FW26 (Images courtesy of Acne Studios)
