ACNE STUDIOS SS26: BETWEEN A CIGAR LOUNGE AND A FEMININE FEVER DREAM

Camz
Oct 8
2 min read

A tale of contradictions

Once again, Acne Studios proves that it does not just follow the zeitgeist, it toys with it, smirks at it, and then casually reinvents it. For Spring Summer 2026, creative director Jonny Johansson stages a collection that dances shamelessly between masculinity and femininity, never settling for either. Beneath the vaulted ceilings of the Collège des Bernardins, transformed into a smoky, wood-panelled cigar lounge because why not lean all the way into the masculine cliché, Johansson sends down looks that are both provocatively sensual and beautifully self-aware.

The show notes may have called it an “inadvertent time capsule”, but nothing about this felt accidental. It was as if Acne Studios had pressed pause on gender binaries, poured them a whiskey, and asked, “So, what are we really doing here ?”

The new language of sensuality

The Acne Studios woman refuses definition, and this season she is wearing that rebellion loud and clear. Liquid denim, yes, denim that looks like it is melting over the skin, clung to bodies with the ease of silk.

Cut-off skirts swung loosely around the hips while thigh-high cowboy boots shouted a sort of homoerotic swagger that could make even Alexander Skarsgård blush. There was something intentionally excessive about it all, as if Johansson were saying that if we want to talk about gender, we might as well turn the volume up until it gets uncomfortable.

And then, like a sharp inhale after a smoky exhale, came the ultra-feminine. Sculptural patchwork lace dresses, complete with cups and boning, exaggerated the body into something both powerful and delicate, a sort of modern Venus stepping out of a cigar cloud. These pieces did not whisper femininity, they screamed it with a cigarette in hand.

The tailoring obsession continues

What would Acne be without its cult tailoring ? Johansson knows his audience, those front-row cool girls with their vintage cameras, silver jewellery and perfectly blasé expressions. For them, there were oversized smoking jackets, one even featuring a cheeky handprint on the rear, and sharply cut leather trousers detailed with zippers that seemed designed for both style and escape.

And then there was the jacket. A chocolate brown leather motor jacket with ribbon-like trims, the kind of piece that could turn even the most minimal wardrobe maximalist overnight. If Acne Studios ever wanted to start riots in concept stores, this would be the item to do it.

The final act setting the zeitgeist ablaze

By the end, the show had evolved into something of a cultural mirror, and, let us be honest, a provocation. While some may see a political statement, Johansson insists it is simply fashion doing what it does best, reflecting, refracting and occasionally mocking the world outside.

As Robyn’s soundtrack lingers in our heads and the internet erupts with album rumours, one thing is certain. Acne Studios does not just meet the moment, it toys with it, stretches it, and slips it into a perfectly tailored jacket before walking it straight into the future.

And somewhere, Loïc Prigent is probably muttering, “Of course they did.”

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