Introduction
Acne Studios is a Stockholm-based fashion house founded by Jonny Johansson in 1996. The brand is known for its multidisciplinary approach, combining fashion with photography, art, architecture and contemporary culture. It produces ready-to-wear, denim, shoes, bags and accessories.
Acne Paper Issue 10, 2010
Acne Studios can be described as conceptual Scandinavian luxury. The brand does not rely on traditional glamour or obvious luxury codes. It builds a visual world around minimalism, unusual beauty, artistic references and individuality.
Core positioning
Acne Studios is a contemporary luxury brand for people who value creativity, cultural intelligence and personal style.Target audience
The target audience includes young creatives, fashion-conscious urban consumers, designers, stylists, artists, photographers, fashion students and people who want luxury fashion to feel intellectual, modern and less mainstream.Communication channels
Acne Studios website, 2026
Official website
The official website works as both an e-commerce platform and a brand environment. It includes categories such as Woman, Man, Denim, Bags, Sale and Runway, which shows that the website is structured around both product navigation and fashion storytelling. The website also includes customer support tools such as live chat, phone support and email. This creates a practical communication layer where the brand supports direct interaction with customers.
@acnestudios, TikTok, 2026 @acnestudios, Instagram*, 2026
Social media
Acne Studios uses social media mainly as a visual branding tool. Its Instagram and TikTok communication is based on campaign images, runway moments, product close-ups, celebrity styling, visual fragments and cultural references. The brand does not communicate in a very conversational or «friendly» tone. Instead, it creates distance and desirability. The audience is invited to observe the brand world rather than simply «chat» with it.
Acne Paper Book, 2021 Acne Paper Issue 20, Golden, 2025
Acne Paper Issue 13, The Body, 2012 Acne Paper Issue 17, Atticus, 2022
Acne Paper
One of the most important communication channels is Acne Paper, a cultural magazine connected with Acne Studios. It was founded as a biannual culture magazine and became part of the brand’s publishing identity. Acne Paper explores art, fashion, photography, architecture, culture and academic topics, which makes it different from normal product advertising. Acne Paper is important because it turns the brand into a cultural platform. Instead of saying «buy our clothes», Acne Studios says: «enter our intellectual and visual universe».Acne Studios Women’s Spring Summer 2026 Show
ILLIT for Acne Studios, 2024
Runway shows and campaigns
Runway shows and campaigns are central to Acne Studios’ communication. The brand presents itself through styling, casting, photography, location, set design and art direction. Vogue Business described Acne Studios as a brand that has become a Paris fashion week staple, while still maintaining its independent and progressive identity. Recent communication also includes celebrity and pop-cultural visibility. For example, ILLIT became the face of Acne Studios’ SS24 global campaign, which shows how the brand connects high fashion with youth culture and global pop culture.Theoretical Framework
Kylie Jenner in Acne Studios, 2023
Kylie Jenner in Acne Studios, 2023
Dialog Theory
Analyzes how Acne Studios builds interaction with its audience through social media, Acne Paper and customer service, but still keeps communication selective, distant and controlled.
Devon Aoki for Acne Studios, SS23 ROSALIA for ACNE STUDIOS, FW22 Willow Smith for Acne Studios, FW 2024
Uses and Gratifications Theory
The Uses and Gratifications Theory explains why audiences actively choose certain media or brand content. People use media to satisfy their personal needs, such as self-expression, inspiration, belonging, entertainment and information.This theory is suitable for Acne Studios because the audience does not follow the brand only to buy clothes. They also use Acne Studios as a source of visual inspiration, personal identity and cultural belonging. Through campaigns, runway images, styling and Acne Paper, the brand works like a moodboard for people who want to express creativity, independence and taste.
Acne Studios Stockholm 1996 Street Style
Analysis
Acne Studios campaigns on Vogue Runway website, 2026
Acne Studios Fall 2024
Acne Studios’ communication can be analyzed through Uses and Gratifications Theory. The brand’s visual content satisfies the audience’s need for identity, aesthetic pleasure and cultural belonging. For example, screenshots from Acne Studios’ campaigns, runway images and Instagram posts can show how the brand creates a specific visual language: minimal, strange, artistic and intellectually fashionable. The audience does not only look at these images to see clothes; they use them as a moodboard and as a way to connect with a creative identity.
Acne Studios website, 2026
Acne Studios website, 2026
Acne Studios website, 2026
