Acne Studios X Glossier Project

ACNE STUDIOS

Julián Restrepo, Teagan O’Connor, Joslyn DeNorio, & Samantha Trippi

DNA

History of Acne Studios

Acne studios is a luxury fashion brand founded in Stockholm, Sweden in 1996 that started as a part of a creative collective called
ACNE, focused on fashion, entertainment, and technology. The name Acne stands for Ambition to Create Novel Expression, and was
originally chosen because the cofounder, Johnny Johansson, wanted to “appropriate a difficult word, and make it sound cool”. The idea
behind the company was to not only be a consultancy for brands in creative fields, but also to produce and sell original products. The
founders were very inspired by Andy Warhol and envisioned having an office similar to Warhol's Factory. A year after the company's
founding, Johansson created 100 pairs of jeans out of raw denim, sewn together with a distinctive red stitching, and gave them away to
“the creative kids” in Stockholm. The jeans quickly gained notoriety, were even featured in magazines such as French Vogue and
Wallpaper.

In 2001, Mikael Schiller was hired as the CEO and given the difficult task of getting the company out of bankruptcy. Schiller
was successful in this task and the brand restarted as Acne Studios. The company's most successful venture at this time was
their denim collection, and decided their next course of action was to get their designs into influential stores like Colette, Dover
Street Market, and Barneys. After being rejected from almost every store, they caught their lucky break, and were picked up by
Colette in Paris. Business picked up quickly from here, and they now have over 40 retail locations in places like Paris, New York,
London, LA, and Tokyo. Today, Acne Studios carries men and women’s ready-to-wear, shoes & accessories, and childrens wear.
Their products have a wide price range, and tend to fall somewhere between $30 and $2000. They are known for having well
tailored pieces using unconventional fabrics, and for their millennial pink shopping bags that became as famous as the brand
itself.

History of Acne Studios

When Acne studios first re-launched they did not have a budget for advertising, after the company started to gain success and
earn a profit, they made the conscious choice not to spend their money on traditional advertising. Instead, they started their own
publication Acne Paper in 2005, an idea inspired by Andy Warhol’s publication Interview magazine. Each issue of the paper centered
around one subject, and was explored from different and unexpected viewpoints. This publication did not solely focus on fashion, but art
and culture as a whole. The magazine was nominated for many awards throughout the years, and won the D&AD award for Magazine
and Newspaper Design in 2008. Despite the magazine's popularity and acclaim, they published their final issue in 2014.

Acne Studios target market is males and females ages 20-40 who tend to have creative jobs in fields like art, graphic design,
architecture, and fashion. The customer is wealthy, values having a unique perspective, and is confident in themselves and their fashion
choices. Due to the customer's creative job, they most likely live in a major city like New York, London, or Tokyo, and may have
discovered the brand while walking past one of their shops located in these hot spots. The Acne Studios customer values quality
materials and construction, and is willing to pay extra to receive this standard. As far as designs, the client is looking for a harmonious
balance between individuality and what is currently trending, but puts a greater emphasis on expressing their artistic spirit in
unconventional ways. The typical Acne Studios shopper knows how to be eccentric without becoming a character, and is always fun to
be around at the galleries, fashion shows and art parties they attend. They love to watch films and read, especially publications that
keep them informed on art and culture like Acne Paper. Acne’s core consumer is in the prime of their adult lives and many are starting to
get married and have children, which is why Acne is now extending their reach even further, by adding childrens wear to their list of
categories. This allows the entire family to have a day of fun shopping at Acne Studios. At first glance, Acne’s decision to not advertise
may seem like an illogical choice, but it’s actually a strategic move inspired by their customer. An Acne Studios shopper values wearing
new, fresh, and underground brands that are not easy to find. Even though Acne is an established brand at this point, by not using
traditional advertising methods they give off the impression they are still “underground” and yet to be discovered by the masses. This
allows the customer to feel as if they are wearing something unique, that many will envy, but be unable to copy. This theme is one Acne
has held true since its start in 1996.

ACNE STUDIOS

Spring ‘21 Collection Analysis

S/S ‘21

Range Plan

Range Plan

Capsule Collection



The Collection



The Invite

The Influencers

The Influencers

Midtown

Problem Solving Capsule Collection



Midtown

“The heart of the city halfway between fashion
and energy. “

Collection “The heart of the city halfway between fashion and energy.”