Acne Studios has created a surreal skyline for its A/W 2025 runway show

‘A dynamic juxtaposition of two worlds; an exercise in contrasts,’ is how Acne Studios describes its A/W 2025 womenswear collection, which will be presented this afternoon in Paris as part of the city’s fashion week.

Unfolding amid a surreal skyline conceived by set designer Polly Philp, the collection imagines this season’s protagonist on a journey from the wilds of northern Sweden towards the ‘fast-paced energy of the city’.

‘When you grow up in the north of Sweden, you develop a deep connection to nature,’ creative director Jonny Johannsson tells Wallpaper*. ‘The relationship between nature and the city has always fascinated me – it’s the tension and contrast between the two environments that I wanted to convey.’

‘Nature versus city’: inside the A/W 2025 Acne Studios showspace

This tension is encapsulated by the show’s set, whereby a series of gleaming, totemic ‘skyscrapers’ meet woven sculptures, reminiscent of lichen-covered rocks, by design duo Front. Inspired by the landscapes of their native Sweden, Anna Lindgren and Sofia Lagerkvist – who founded Front in 2008 – say the tapestry-covered sculptures are designed to ‘bring the wilderness in’.

‘Many of our previous works originate from our fascination with nature,’ the pair tell Wallpaper*. ‘We are intrigued by natural forms, textures and patterns. Here, the pieces have been embroidered with “wild embroidery” – just like in nature, you find more details the closer you look.’

The works will double as seating for a number of the show’s guests (‘after all, the most natural and ancient seat is a rock in the forest,’ say Front), while others will watch from bleacher-style seating along the edges of the showspace, which is entered through theatrical velvet ‘curtains’.

The show will also feature another intriguing collaboration: a soundtrack ‘curated’ by Icelandic musician Björk, who reveals a new version of her 1993 hit Human Behaviour (originally produced by Nellee Hooper and Björk) remixed by Helsinki-based artist Exmantera.

Johannsson says that the transporting soundtrack reflects the mood of both the collection and showspace. ‘I wanted to capture the nature and city intertwined, and the contrast between them,’ he says. ‘I hope everyone will appreciate how beautiful the nature is.’

acnestudios.com