Acne Studios x Hussein Chalayan: A Study in Design Evolution

In collaboration with legendary conceptual designer Hussein Chalayan, Acne Studios’ latest collection is a recitation on both house’s design language and ethos, a middle ground between Scandinavian minimalism and the avant-garde.

The 12 piece capsule comprises reworked shirts, vests, dresses, jeans, and a bag, all rendered in denim, leather and jersey—the foundational materials of the designer’s eponymous label.

Creative Director Jonny Johansson captures and reiterates upon the experimental methodologies and design codes set across the designer’s seminal work, including Spring/Summer ’01’s Ventriloquy, SS02’s Medea, and SS03’s Manifest Destiny.

Blended with Acne Studios’ existing design language, house icons such as the “1996” and “2009” pant silhouettes are remade in patchwork denim, twisted along the seams and overlaid with trompe l’oeil python print. Layered construction techniques are continued in t-shirts and vests, and presented in denim hues across the Camero handbag. 

“I have always found Hussein’s work to be incredible—he has had a gigantic impact on fashion, and I wanted to bring that back,” says Johansson. “It’s a very special feeling when you work with someone you look up to—all you can do is to let them be free to do what they do. What unites us is the idea that design and creativity should always be the priority.”

The campaign was shot in London’s V&A’s East Storehouse museum, alongside a number of Chalayan’s garments that are a part of the space’s permanent collection. 

Accompanying the capsule is the release of an original book, “Reference: Hussein Chalayan,” editorially directed by Charlene Prempeh and published by Acne Studios. The book serves as a deep dive into Chalayan’s underexplored influence on the world of fashion and as a resource for those interested in Chalayan’s research methods and practice.

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Both the capsule collection and ‘Reference: Hussein Chalayan’ will be available online and in selected stores globally.