Acne Studios' stores are ‘small personal time-stamps’, says Jonny Johansson, co-founder and creative director of the Swedish brand. For each location, Johansson calls upon a different architect, designer or artist to make their mark on the brand’s aesthetic – whether that’s Sophie Hicks in Seoul or Bozarthfornell Architects in Stockholm.
For the brand’s new flagship on Madison Avenue in New York, British designer Max Lamb created a furniture concept revolving around polycarbonate elements with gold accents and aluminium fittings with electrostatical gilding. ‘I always aim to work with creative people that I feel inspired by in some way’, says Johansson. ‘I prefer working long-term with different artists that are active in the world of art and architecture, not just fashion.’
Hand-tufted rugs made in Lamb's London studio bring softness to the space
Lamb regularly creates furniture that borders on art, and utensils that are made with labour-intensive techniques. He has also explored newfangled materials, such as man-made marble. For Johansson, it’s the often-unexpected results that make these collaborations worthwhile. ‘I enjoy seeing what they come up with. The surprise element for me is important.’
Sculptural bronze furniture are dotted around the store, while the structural pillars that stand in the space are scattered with semi-precious coloured stones. An organic touch that offsets the space’s signature gold accent is the custom-made rugs. Made of yarns hand-dyed in Lamb’s studio in London, and then tufted at Kasthall in Sweden, they are all different as the result of each tufter working with one yarn until finished – letting the material determine how the rug unfolds.
With women's and men's ready-to-wear, denim, bags and accessories on offer, the store is akin to a gallery in the sense that it is fully wrapped in glass to allow complete transparency; apart from a golden aluminum partition that divides the public front and private back area. ‘I like juxtaposing materials like that’, says Johannson. ‘It’s more about the combination of the materials and the feeling you get from combining them, rather than the materials themselves.’
British designer Max Lamb created a retail concept revolving around polycarbonate elements with gold accents
A black asphalt floor and columns are speckled with semi-precious coloured stones
Gold-hued fittings dominate the space
INFORMATION
For more information, visit the Acne Studios website
ADDRESS
926 Madison Avenue
New York, NY 10021
-
Pharrell Williams’ latest Louis Vuitton show celebrates a ‘friendship for life’ with streetwear legend NigoLouis Vuitton men’s creative director Pharrell Williams looked towards his long friendship with BAPE founder Nigo to create a collaborative A/W 2025 menswear collection shown in Paris this evening (21 January 2025)
-
Think small, think electric, as Hyundai attempts to revolutionise the classic Indian three-wheelerHyundai’s Micro Mobility strategy, in collaboration with Indian manufacturer TVS, has revealed two conceptual takes on small electric urban transport in a bid to cut the country’s crushing pollution issue
-
‘Just beneath the surface there’s another world’: How David Lynch used hair and make-up to create his singular universeFrom Blue Velvet and Mulholland Drive to Twin Peaks, David Lynch used hair and make-up in his films as a narrative device, writes Laura Havlin
-
Barcelona’s Darial concept store boasts gold palm trees and art deco glamourGallery, store and eatery combine in the city's newest retail concept
-
MSGM brings Italian pizzazz to London with new boutique -
Delvaux unveils museum-meets-store Brussels flagship -
Retro revival: Dimore Studio unleashes 70s style at Fendi’s Sloane Street boutique -
Bow belles: stay ahead of the curve with sensual velvets and geometric arcs -
Modern spirit: the Swiss Institute gives Corbusier icon a millenial twist -
Vincent van Duysen transforms former post office into Alexander Wang’s London flagship -
Givenchy’s Avenue Montaigne boutique is honed by Riccardo Tisci and interior architect Joseph Dirand
