[4] When founded in 1996, the label derived its name from the creative collective ACNE; initially an acronym for Associated Computer Nerd Enterprises[5] and later a backronym of Ambition to Create Novel Expressions.

[6] Founder and Creative Director Jonny Johannson's interest in photography, art, architecture and contemporary culture is reflected in the brand's clothing, publications, furniture, exhibitions and special collaborations.

[13] Acne Studios design men's and women's ready-to-wear fashion, footwear, denim, and accessories including handbags, small leather goods, and eyewear.

In addition, an Acne Studios Blå Konst pop-up shop located in Tokyo's Shibuya district was opened to showcase the launch, which it houses exclusively.

Contributors to Acne Paper have included Carine Roitfeld, Noam Chomsky, David Lynch, Lord Snowdon, Azzedine Alaïa, Mario Testino, Sarah Moon, Tilda Swinton and Paolo Roversi.

[18] For the Spring/Summer 2017 campaign, Paolo Roversi shot a portrait series featuring creatives around the world, such as Golshifteh Farahani, Fatima Al Qadiri, and Hayv Kahraman.

[30] More recent collaborations include a limited-edition monograph and unisex silk pajama collection with American sculptor Peter Schlesinger,[31] small leather goods monogrammed with Jack Pierson's custom lettering,[32] and a custom rug collection for Acne Studios' Madison Ave. location designed by British designer Max Lamb and Swedish rug company Kasthall.

In 2019, Acne Studios released capsule clothing collections made in collaboration with Starter Black Label[34] and with NBA player Russell Westbrook.

[39] Acne Studios has retail locations around the world including Stockholm, Gothenburg, Copenhagen, Munich, Berlin, New York, San Francisco, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Milan, Melbourne, Sydney, Toronto, Antwerp, London, Paris, Oslo, Hong Kong, Tokyo, Nagoya, Seoul, Chengdu, Beijing, and Shanghai.