Fashion brand Acne continues its growth with Hong Kong store
Stockholm-based label goes from a cult denim label to one of the most covetable brands
It may be hard to believe, but fame isn't always the best thing for a brand - just ask Acne co-founder and designer Jonny Johansson. By the beginning of the millennium, his label was riding high thanks to the success of its simple yet sleek denim which was splashed across every celebrity booty and major fashion magazine in the world.
Despite this, he was facing a tough decision that would eventually change the story, and legacy, of the brand.
"It should have been the best period, but I describe it as the hangover. After all the success came problems with production and quality. At the same time we were worried we were stuck. We knew if we went down the [denim] route we would eventually be pigeonholed as one of those brands that can only do one thing and then disappears.
"My business partner Mikael [Schiller] gave me a large dose of truth serum. He said, 'Either we do jeans or do something else, just devote yourself to it,'" Johansson says.
So Johansson followed his gut and took a step back from the denim rush, refocusing his efforts on other creative pursuits that would eventually establish Acne as a coveted yet elusive label. It now has more than 650 points of sales and 30 stores worldwide, the latest of which opens in Ice House Street, Central this week.