All Hands on Deck for Acne Studios SS27, October 2026
There is a frisson of excitement whenever Tat veers into the world of fashion. It happens every so often, and I can confirm that I am always thrilled by the diversion. I like to think of the interiors world as fashion's less glamorous distant cousin: close enough to acknowledge one another when needed, but not so close that our social lives cross more than a few times a year. The art world seemingly the popular cousin, the one we vie for the attention of. But there is no doubt that our glamorous relation can put on a show.
Step foot in Paris during SS27 fashion week and it is hard not to notice the hordes moving around the city as each show is ticked off the itinerary. Slender beings drift from one venue to the next with a seemingly casual air that hides very well the strain of days spent walking the runway. There is an otherworldly quality to fashion week, and even the most jaded, hard-worn fashionistas and aficionados are still eager to see what will come down that catwalk.
I was there to see and celebrate Acne Studios, the icon of denim and a brand so well stitched into our hearts it has become a wardrobe staple. Founded by Jonny Johansson in 1996, when he was just 25, and now led by CEO Mattias Magnusson, its history includes fashion shows in Lord Snowdon's Kensington home, more than 79 stores worldwide and, most recently, a campaign celebrating its 30th birthday featuring Peter Schlesinger and Juliette Lewis shot by Nan Goldin. The brand sits in a unique position in the market. It is largely owned by Johansson and Mikael Schiller, who was brought on 25 years ago to produce a financial report and has been the money man ever since; Magnusson started as his assistant not long after.
This season's show was held at the Collège des Bernardins, a building whose foundations date back to the 13th century. Renovated in 2008, it is now breathtaking, its vaulted ceilings making it, like so many of the Paris locations where fashion shows pop up, a remarkable backdrop to proceedings. The show was due to start at 6.30pm, though with the rain that had settled over Paris that day, traffic was almost certain to hold it up. The scene outside was a monumental mass of mostly teenage girls and photographers, the hardiest of professions. There were eruptions each time a car pulled up and another celebrity of the internet age stepped out. There were, of course, dull looks exchanged when we popped out of ours, and not a single flash. Once inside, I was fascinated by the screams of "Sebastián" and made a mental note to find out who this celebrated young man was. (He was, in fact, Sebastián Yatra, the Colombian singer with 28 million followers on Instagram.)
Johansson's inspiration this season seemed to come from a myriad of places. His mention that the Vasa, the ornate 17th-century Swedish warship, had been on his mind while designing the set felt entirely fitting: draped fabric throughout, chandeliers hanging at precarious angles and seats in different shapes and sizes, creating a wonderfully haphazard effect. The chef's kiss was the rugs by Azerbaijani artist Faig Ahmed, who takes the forms of traditional carpets and transforms, fragments or "melts" them into sculptural compositions.
One could not help but be swept up when the first billowing look came down the runway in all its heaving glory: fabric over fabric, a mix of the baroque, the 80s and the Wild West. The last was no accident. Bruce of Los Angeles' Rodeo series was on show at Acne Paper in the Palais Royal, and there were clear nods to those handsome 1960s cowboy outfits. Slightly cropped capri trousers were followed by theatrical buckled shoes, single earrings and, again, damask exploding from the tops. It was a nod to the New Romantics, and a leap towards a hopeful, perhaps slightly anarchic, spring and summer 2027.
