Swedish Design Diversity
Not content with merely having “studios” (creative work spaces combined with retail stores) in Austria, Denmark, France, Germany, Norway and their native Sweden, The Acne Collective have now opened their first venture in the US. With help from architect Andreas Fornell, Acne’s roving Creative Director Jonny Johannsson has rather aptly created a Shaker meets Gustavian style for the interior of the new store in Soho, New York. Whilst remaining firmly Scandinavian, the new store has a quirky retro feel rather than more commonly seen, hard-edged minimalism.
Founded in Stockholm in 1996, Acne's ambition has always been to create and develop their own products whilst simultaneously helping other people to build brands. These days, Acne is a sprawling creative collective with a uniquely diverse range of ventures, that currently includes Acne Creative (specializing in advertising, design and product development), Acne Digital (all aspects of online production), Acne Film (making commercials, music videos and feature films) and Acne Jr. (creating toys and characters). Not to mention two of our favorite Scandinavian brands, the fashion label Acne Jeans and the stunningly beautiful magazine Acne Paper.
Take a look below to read more about Acne and check out our favorite fashion website Refinery 29, who have an interesting interview with Jonny Johannsson and photos of the new Soho store:
The foundation stones for Acne Jeans were laid back in 1997 when one hundred pairs of jeans were designed and distributed to friends and family. It didn’t take long before stores and boutiques started asking to carry the Acne’s raw denim jeans with their distinctive bright-red stitching.
The deliberately unfashionable timelessness of Acne Paper, another of our long-term Scandinavian favorites, gives it more the feeling of a coffee-table book rather than that of yet another style magazine. Never content with merely filling its pages with news or consumerism, Acne Paper is more often than not full of personal stories and experiences, and interviews that strive to explore the essence behind the creative process.
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