Acne Studios Explores Masculine Energy for Fall 2025

Joelle Diderich

22 January 2025 at 4:29 pm·2-min read

As a father of three sons, Acne Studios creative director Jonny Johansson is better equipped than most to understand what’s driving young men – even if you sense he’s equal parts fascinated and baffled.

Take his eldest, Frasse, who starred in an Acne womenswear campaign at the age of 11. Now 21, he runs a vintage store in Stockholm and has a chameleonic approach to style: think Lenny Kravitz one day, Japanese Goth the next.

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“It’s very playful,” Johansson said. “When I was younger, it was one thing, and that was that.”

This season, the designer embraced role-playing while investigating another youth obsession: looksmaxxing. Rooted in online incel forums, the trend is all about meeting rigid physical criteria, which had Johansson exploring masculine ideals from gym bunnies to finance bros.

For those keen to show off rock-hard abs and bulging biceps, he offered cropped tank tops with fictional “Pink Gym for everyone” branding that he paired with everything from trim tailored jackets to a ribbed velour tracksuit.

But in a departure from recent seasons, he also offered some credible options for the office, in case your boss has been talking about bringing more “masculine energy” into the workplace — hi, Meta employees!

Taking ‘80s power dressing as his springboard, he offered blousy versions of shirt dresses, slimmed-down versions of his signature distressed jeans, and a variety of suits, from a crisp retro style in allover checks to a relaxed-fit pinstripe option.

Johansson’s take on archetypes was typically deft and playful. A classic trenchcoat was puffed up with quilting, while padded denim boxers were worn as micro shorts. And while a gray marl gym outfit channeled Rocky Balboa, it was paired with sneakers that were a hybrid between vintage boxing trainers and ballet pumps.

“We’re not ironic in any way, but we’re cheeky with what fashion is. When it’s too serious, it’s a little more pretentious,” Johansson demurred.

He pointed to one of his signature trompe-l’oeil pants with a photo print of jeans, leather chaps, a Western-style belt buckle and cowboy boots. A man’s man? Sometimes, it’s just an illusion.

Launch Gallery: Acne Studios Men’s Fall 2025 Ready-to-Wear Collection

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