Acne Paper #19

The new issue of Acne Paper serenades the night. A source of profound inspiration that has held sway over the human imagination since ancient times, the nocturnal realm is a call to imagination for a global assembly of artists, photographers, writers, filmmakers, musicians, designers, and stylists, both past and present, culminating in an issue that celebrates the wonders of the night.

This issue’s theme feels even more prescient given that nocturnal enchantment is under threat from over-stimulating technology and an incessant information cycle. The very essence of dreaming – whether in daylight or under the cloak of night – and the richness of the inner world is being disregarded. The power of the imagination is being diminished.

Into this restlessness, a global cast of luminaries is shining a light in the darkness. The cover image sets the tone: photographed by Jordan Hemingway and styled by Emman Debattista, it features the model Jade Hsu emerging from the shadows in spine-tinglingly expressive haute couture dress.

Throughout the issue, the nocturnal refrain has ignited dazzling work that explores creative dreaming and moonlit freedom. Highlights include fashion stories by Casper Sejersen and Sophia Kossada, Jet Swan and Katy England, Luis Alberto Rodriguez and Jacob K, Erika Kamano and Léopold Duchemin, Kristina Nagel and Beat Bolliger, Thibaut Grevet and Ola Ebiti, Rafael Pavarotti and George Krakowiak, as well as Leslie Zhang and Audrey Hu. Paolo Roversi and Robbie Spencer have paid homage to the misty lure of moonlight, while Campbell Addy and Ibrahim Kamara offer up a surrealist, theatrical spread.