- Sep 29, 2023
- 2 min read

Acne Studios presents Women’s Spring Summer 2024 collection

Acne Studios presents its Women’s Spring Summer 2024 collection Show at the UNESCO protected 17th century Paris Observatory. In 1665–1666, the French Academy of Sciences suggested building the Paris Observatory, a work commenced by King Louis XIV. And today it hosts the very contemporary Acne Studios Spring Summer 2024 show within refurbished settings and details conceived just for the occasion by contemporary artists in the collaboration with the brand.

By Nermin A.

Acne Studios Women’s Spring Summer 2024 collection. All images courtesy of the brand.

Acne Studios is the only brand to be showing at the exclusive venue which has not hosted any shows for the past decade. The Show space 700 sqm has 515 seats, and limited front row access for celebrities like Kylie Kardashian the latest face of Acne. To prepare the 80 m long runway it took 12 days to construct and dismantle the show scenography and structures with 437 people working on the show production alone.

Smashed Disco Ball, designed by Alice Kirkpatrick, in the background and Lukas Gschwandtner's cosy pillows and cushions to match the space.

Yet it all follows a red thread; from the artist Lukas Gschwandtner, who designed 105 pillows and cushions just to enhance comfort for the show guests, (in not less than 5 different designs), to the centerpiece a larger than life smashed Disco Ball, designed by Alice Kirkpatrick featuring around 25,000 mirrored facets, it took 10 people 3 weeks to create. But why? Not only is the silver disco ball structure reinterpreted in show's accessories like silver handbags or crusted on the denim looks, but collaboration with contemporary artists represents the essence of Acne Studios and the brand's international success.

The next season's looks are quite complex and involve a lot of hand finished processes; these pieces take over 36 hrs physically working on them to make - realized by a leather moulding technique specialist.

“The industrial mood this season comes mostly from my passion for denim and the many ways we can manipulate this amazing fabric. It also comes from the idea of a construction site: things are unfinished, a work in progress. I wanted to convey the beauty of that,” says Jonny Johansson, creative director of Acne Studios. “We also worked with Katerina Jebb’s scanography series Physical Evidence of a Woman. These artefacts are something that I feel is almost lost today, they feel dated, yet they are still there. So we used them as prints and subverted them. This exploration felt timely with where we are in fashion right now: lines between genders are blurred, there are no labels anymore.”

There is a juxtaposition in weights; heavily plaster-treated pieces contrast with light, airy silks and delicate feathers. White and greys with a cement tone contrasted with strong signal colours: vivid blue, green, and red. Pastel pinks and blues meet purples. It all adds to floating and sculptural, draped and couturesque, slightly undone. Skirts appear levitating, low on the waist, as if hanging off the body. Monochrome looks and exaggerated elongated sleeves contrasted with micro lengths. The collection is not just modern in an avant-garde way but very sensual too.