ACNE STUDIOS MARKS 30 YEARS WITH A NAN GOLDIN CAMPAIGN

Acne Studios/Nan Goldin

Summary:

Acne Studios launches a denim capsule to celebrate 30 years of business.
Photographer Nan Goldin shoots portraits of long-time brand collaborators.
The collection includes re-edition vintage jeans and jackets in raw and worn washes.

Acne Studios celebrates 30 years in business this year. Creative director Jonny Johansson returns to the foundational material of the Swedish label. The company started in Stockholm during 1996 by producing 100 pairs of raw denim jeans. These initial garments featured distinct red stitching along the seams. Johansson gifted the pieces to his close friends and local artists.

The brand enlisted American photographer Nan Goldin to shoot the 30th-anniversary campaign. Goldin applies her signature diaristic documentary style to the images. She has a reputation for photographing subjects intimately from the inside of their lives. The photographs feature members of the creative community instead of hired models. The cast includes musician Ellie Rowsell, actor Juliette Lewis, and photographer Jordan Hemingway. Artists Jonathan Lyndon Chase, Peter Schlesinger, and Sandra Poulson appear alongside actor Raya Martigny, model Guinevere Van Seenus, and actor Rila Fukushima. Johansson chose these specific individuals because they represent the core brand universe.

Denim functions as the central element of this project. Johansson describes denim as a gritty and real material. He views the fabric as a personal canvas for the wearer. The fabric ages naturally and adapts to your daily movements. When you wear these garments repeatedly, the material changes shape to fit your body.

The 30th-anniversary capsule collection launched on September 3. You find the items in international retail locations and on the official website. The release includes re-editions of the original 1996 slim low-rise fit and the 2009 bootcut style. The 2009 bootcut draws inspiration from the defining silhouettes of the early 2000s era. A classic denim jacket accompanies the trousers. The company offers each piece in two specific washes. You choose between a pristine raw finish or a distressed worn look. These two options represent the garments before and after 30 years of continuous use. The anniversary capsule acts as a reflection on the transition of Acne Studios into a globally recognized fashion house.