Acne Studios SS26 Menswear

A continuing study of masculinity, in all its spectrum. Sharp gestures of sportswear meet the nostalgic and the academic, as if garments have been passed through generations. Favouring eclecticism over perfection, the SS26 menswear collection proposes an intuitive way of dressing, spontaneous and unbothered.

Imagining this season’s protagonist at college, swiftly slipping into his clothes or riding on his scooter. The mood is casual, unstudied – an onwards shift from last season’s search for sartorialism and perfection. The tenets of a vintage wardrobe run throughout: a feeling of traversing generations through nostalgia, an eclectic impulse. Sportswear is ever-present, though worn in unexpected ways – the idea of wearing sportswear for the wrong sport, or no sport at all.

‘We keep exploring and rebuilding the emblematic codes of the menswear wardrobe,’ says Jonny Johansson, Acne Studios creative director. ‘This time, it’s with a geeky, quietly confident attitude that beats perfection by far. Our character is cool and unbothered – that’s where his charisma comes from.’

Purposes and eras mix. Silhouettes sway between the stretched and shrunken, and the elongated and the oversized. Trousers are cut with the volume of jogging bottoms; shorts are abbreviated; a narrower, boot-cut pant appears to have been passed through time. The 1970s are an influence throughout, informing elongated collars on narrow shirting, flourishes of silk, and the new slim-cut ‘1979’ jeans. Jumping forward, the ‘2010’ jeans – straight-leg, low-waist – arrive in a new ‘mended’ iteration.

Leather sets have a feeling of luxury and precision, a move to minimalism echoed in clean-cut latex- coated denim sets, designed with a stretch. Acne Studios wardrobe archetypes are approached with new clarity: bomber and biker jackets are sharp and unadorned, or amplified in volume, punctuated by an amalgam of prints, from Japanese motifs to trompe l’oeil, where denim appears ‘torn away’ to reveal retro florals beneath.

Tonal shifts also shape the collection’s materials. Heritage fabrics meet something sportier, and sleeker – checkered wools, lightweight silk knits, and plaids contrast with clean-lined leather and latex-coated denim. A feeling of stretch: garments which contour to the body, reminiscent of sportswear. Nostalgic denim treatments give the illusion of wear. Colours span the sun-bleached to bolder hues of electric blue, yellow and pink, a perennial Acne Studios hue. Browns and beiges recall traditional formal attire.

A collage of accessories is an ode to self-expression. Aviator sunglasses and eyewear recall 1970s frames; logo caps have a DIY energy. The cowboy boot returns, becoming an Acne Studios archetype. Soft, slip-on loafers draw inspiration from the car shoe. Buckled sandals are constructed from deconstructed straps of leather. The Camero bag is reimagined in a textural melange of new fabrics, iterations and sizes.

At the heart of the collection is an impulse towards friction and play: an intuitive free-spirit that has defined Acne Studios since its inception.