Acne Studios Creative Director Talks Kylie Jenner Effect
Acne Studios’ fall campaign starring Kylie Jenner not only ushered in a new image for the reality star and entrepreneur, but also turbocharged demand for the Swedish brand’s latest style: the ultra-oversized unisex “2023” jeans in a distressed “Penicillin” wash, which customers have renamed the “Kylie denim.”
Shot in Los Angeles by the Dutch photographer and director Carlijn Jacobs, the ads that broke on Aug. 31 saw the cosmetics mogul and reality star modeling the brand’s dirty denim collection with wet-look hair and muddy body paint.
More from Sourcing Journal
It also marked a departure for Jonny Johansson, creative director of Acne Studios. “I wanted to shoot the biggest pop icon of the moment,” he said. “She’s a sign of the times. She’s what everybody’s talking about.”
With 398 million followers online, Jenner may be used to breaking the internet, but for Johansson, watching the campaign go viral was a new experience. “I was super scared when all the comments came rolling in, but I was also happy that people engaged,” he recalled.
It marked the first time that Jenner co-posted with another brand. In total, her eight grid posts and 11 stories on Instagram garnered a total of 15.86 million likes, with 34.7 million accounts reached and 266 million impressions, Acne Studios reported. The star’s mother Kris Jenner also reposted the images.
In parallel, Kylie Jenner posted five TikTok videos that amassed 42.5 million views.
Meanwhile, Acne’s Instagram post unveiling the campaign was the most liked in the brand’s history, reaching 6.1 million accounts and garnering 494,000 likes. In the wake of the campaign, it registered 55,000 new followers on Instagram and welcomed a fresh, younger clientele who love the baggy fit and the new washes.
Within two weeks of the announcement, conversations both online and offline amassed a total of $9.4 million in media impact value, according to data research and insights company Launchmetrics. “The synergy between Kylie Jenner and Acne Studios redefines contemporary fashion and captivates the hearts of Gen Z and devoted fans alike,” it said.
The campaign also shows Jenner in the “2021,” a loose-fit style with a mid-rise and wide-leg silhouette, first introduced in 2021 and presented in the same worn-in washes, which also include a waxy “oil-coated” variation, as well as the floorsweeping “Dacna” denim maxi dress.
At the brand’s show at Paris Fashion Week in September, huge crowds gathered to catch a glimpse of Jenner and fellow guests including Rosalía and K-pop stars Big Matthew and Giselle from girl band Aespa.
“I love the organic relationship I’ve built with Acne Studios,” Jenner said. “I am a fan of the brand and I’ve worn their product over the past few years. This campaign is one of my favorites. I loved working with Carlijn and I love the simplicity of the images, they have strength in their directness.”
Jacobs said the photos, some of which show twin images of Jenner embracing each other, were meant to project “unapologetic self-love.” In other shots, she is topless and holds the brand’s new distressed leather Multi-Pocket bag.
“The campaign sought to showcase Kylie as a woman who is in control, has love for herself and is unafraid to embrace her desires. I aimed to celebrate her individuality by doubling her. She loves herself and is not afraid to show it,” the photographer said.
To celebrate the collaboration, Acne Studios produced exclusive calendars with the campaign imagery which were gifted to 100 recipients worldwide.
Acne reported a strong response to the collection, which marked a renewed focus on denim for the label, which was born in 1997 when Johansson made 100 pairs of jeans and gave them away to friends and family. The campaign doubled store traffic in the U.S., with both loyal and new customers coming into stores asking for the “Kylie” jeans, it said.
More denim is on its way. Acne’s spring lineup was inspired by construction-site textures: denim and knitwear were caked in white plaster, while pockets and belt loops were molded onto the surface of rubbery leather coats.
“Denim is one of those rebellious but practical materials that is always attractive to me,” Johansson said.
“It’s also a very sustainable material in the sense that you end up wearing it again and again for years. I think of denim as the axle for everything else in your wardrobe—all your other clothes revolve around denim. It’s an endlessly important material that I love to reinvent every season,” he added.
Solve the daily Crossword
