Acne Jeans Opens in New York, Paris

New Yorkers who used to stalk the Barney's Co-Op denim section for Acne tube jeans can now breathe a little easier in, well, their high-waisted jeans—the Swedish sensation has finally landed stateside with their first U.S. boutique. The store opened last week in Soho at 10 Greene Street between Canal and Grand (R.I.P. the Cloak boutique). Known mostly in these parts for their desirable denim, the label actually encompasses an entire range of clothing and shoes. And, in fact, the label isn't just a label, it's a collective, with arms in film, media and publishing. So, in addition to a new pair of jeans, a super-soft jersey tee and a pair of Nylite sneakers (part of their collaboration with Tretorn), you can also pick up a copy of Acne Paper, the company's biannual, large-format, coffee table magazine.

Acne's studio profile includes outposts in Stockholm, Berlin and Vienna, and the opening of the Soho studio coincides with its first French location, in Paris, naturallement. The Parisian store is located within the intimate shopping arcade inside the Jardin du Palais Royal, and counts Marc Jacobs and Didier Ludot as neighbors. While all the studios are representative of the overall concept of the brand, each one has a separate identity. In Paris, the grandeur and finery of the Palais are reflected in the airy space, while the Soho atelier's small scale injects a more intimate feel into the experience. The entrance into the New York retail landscape, and the expansion into France, are both part of creative director Jonny Johansson's overall goal to build the identity of the brand well beyond dungarees.

—Meredith Fisher