Getting hired at Acne Studios is no easy feat. As one of the hottest contemporary fashion brands, they receive thousands of applications for a handful of open positions. So how do you stand out and prove you’re the perfect candidate during the Acne Studios interview process?
Preparation is key. By understanding the types of Acne Studios interview questions you’ll face and practicing your answers, you can highlight your relevant skills and showcase how you’ll contribute to the company’s unique culture.
I’ve analyzed feedback from previous Acne Studios interviewees and insider tips to compile the top interview questions candidates report being asked most frequently
Read on for the inside scoop on how to ace your Acne Studios interview and start your fashion career at one of the industry’s most coveted brands!
Overview of the Acne Studios Interview Process
The Acne Studios interview process typically involves:
- Initial phone screening with HR
- 1-3 in-person/video interviews, with manager + senior leadership
- For some roles, a practical assessment
The interviews adopt a conversational style but still assess your technical abilities, industry knowledge, and culture fit. Some key qualities they look for include:
- Passion for fashion
- Strong communication skills
- Business acumen
- Leadership potential
- Alignment with their brand values
Ideally, you’ll convey your expertise while also showcasing your unique personality and perspective.
Now let’s explore the most common Acne Studios interview questions so you can craft winning responses.
Customer Service & Communication Questions
Customer experience is paramount for luxury retail brands like Acne Studios. Expect behavioral and situational questions that evaluate your service skills.
1. How would you build rapport with a new client unfamiliar with our brand?
This tests your ability to immerse clients in the Acne Studios experience. Tailor your answer to highlight strategies like:
- Active listening to understand their preferences
- Educating them on the brand story and collections
- Advising pieces that align with their style
- Following up to ensure satisfaction
2. What would you do if a popular item was out of stock but a customer insisted on purchasing it?
Demonstrate your problem-solving abilities and commitment to positive experiences. Emphasize you would:
- Empathize with their disappointment
- Offer to notify them when it’s back in stock
- Suggest comparable items they may like
- Follow up to confirm satisfaction
3. How have you adapted your communication style to interact with a diverse customer base?
Share examples of tweaking your communication for different cultures, languages, age groups, etc. Ways to adapt could include:
- Modifying tone and vocabulary for clarity
- Adjusting speed and inflection of speech
- Being mindful of body language and facial expressions
- Leveraging technology like translation tools
4. Tell me about a time you calmed an angry or upset customer. What was the situation and how did you handle it?
Illustrate your empathy, listening skills, and ability to de-escalate tensions. Discuss how you got to the root of their frustration, offered solutions, and restored a positive relationship.
Sales & Marketing Questions
Beyond customer service, Acne Studios also evaluates your sales abilities and market awareness. Expect questions like:
5. Have you increased sales in past roles? How did you achieve that?
Share a specific example. Discuss strategies like:
- Analyzing data to identify opportunities
- Curating targeted campaigns
- Monitoring KPIs to refine tactics
- Collaborating with team members
Quantify results when possible to showcase your impact.
6. How do you stay updated on competitor products and industry trends?
Prove you’re a true fashion insider by highlighting tactics like:
- Reading fashion publications
- Following key influencers
- Attending trade shows
- Leveraging market research
- Using web tracking and social listening
7. How would you promote a new collection to existing customers?
Tailor your response to demonstrate Acne Studios’ understanding, mentioning campaigns across:
- Social media
- In-store displays and promotions
- Influencer partnerships
- Events and experiential activations
Discuss how you’d track performance and optimize based on data.
8. Tell me about a time you struggled to meet a sales target. What obstacles did you face and how did you overcome them?
Use a real example to illustrate your perseverance and problem-solving skills. Discuss how you:
- Pinpointed roadblocks like production delays
- Collaborated with cross-functional teams
- Implemented creative solutions like targeted promotions
- Monitored progress and continuously refined tactics
9. In your opinion, what makes an effective salesperson?
This evaluates your understanding of core sales skills. Your answer should touch on:
- Product knowledge
- Relationship-building abilities
- Needs assessment
- Persuasive communication
- Customer service mentality
- Motivation and self-improvement
Leadership & Teamwork Questions
While assessing your individual abilities, Acne Studios also evaluates your leadership potential and team mindset.
10. Tell me about a time you led a successful team project. What was your role and how did you contribute?
Prove you can spearhead initiatives collaboratively by discussing how you:
- Coordinated responsibilities
- Maintained open communication
- Provided support and mentoring
- Tracked progress and milestones
- Celebrated team achievements
11. How have you contributed to a positive culture in past retail roles?
Share examples that show you:
- Initiated teambuilding activities
- Supported colleagues during busy times
- Mediated conflicts through active listening
- Coached teammates to improve performance
- Created peer recognition programs like “employee of the month”
12. Describe your management style. How do you motivate employees and maximize productivity?
Show you align with Acne Studios’ employee-focused culture by emphasizing a collaborative approach where you:
- Lead by example with a hands-on mentality
- Foster open dialogue and regular feedback
- Recognize individual contributions
- Support professional development
- Set clear goals but allow autonomy in how they’re achieved
13. Tell me about a time you disagreed with a supervisor’s decision. How did you handle it?
Illustrate your professionalism and nuanced communication skills. Discuss how you:
- Voiced your opinion respectfully
- Found compromise through constructive debate
- Remained composed and focused on shared goals
- Managed to influence their decision positively
14. What does teamwork mean to you? How would you foster collaboration on our team?
Share tips like:
- Establishing open lines of communication
- Making sure all voices are heard
- Breaking down silos by building relationships across departments
- Celebrating group wins
- Leading by example with a collaborative attitude
Company Knowledge Questions
Demonstrating your passion for Acne Studios is crucial. Expect questions like:
15. Why do you want to work for Acne Studios?
Show you’ve done your research by mentioning specifics like:
- Their pioneering approach to fashion, blending minimalism and edge
- The value they place on creative integrity and responsible practices
- Impressive collaborations with artists and designers
- Global reputation for quality while retaining approachability
16. What interests you about this role? Why are you a great fit?
Tailor your answer to highlight relevant skills, experience, and passion for the role’s responsibilities.
17. What do you know about our company culture and values?
Show you’ve immersed yourself in the brand by mentioning their:
- Creative, innovative spirit
- Down-to-earth nature despite luxury status
- Focus on ethical business practices
- Investment in employee growth and satisfaction
18. Where do you see Acne Studios in five years? How could you help us get there?
Demonstrate strategic thinking and vision by discussing growth opportunities like:
- Expanding ecommerce and digital immersion
- Targeted brick-and-mortar locations in key markets
- Developing new product categories
- Leveraging collaborations and brand partnerships
Outline how your skills would contribute.
19. What interests you about our brand? How did you become familiar with Acne Studios?
Share your personal discovery story. Perhaps you:
- Have admired their campaigns and collaborations with creatives
- Were impressed by the brand’s retail experiences
- Connect with their forward-thinking but accessible nature
- Appreciate their investments in sustainability
Behavioral Interview Questions
Behavioral questions allow you to demonstrate key competencies through real examples:
20. Tell me about a time you set an ambitious goal. What steps did you take to achieve it?
Prove your initiative and perseverance by breaking down how you:
- Identified growth opportunities
- Developed a strategy and milestones
- Tracked progress and adjusted course
- Overcame obstacles that arose
- Achieved positive results
**21
We met the creative director of Acne Studios at the brand’s Swedish headquarters
The Acne Studios store at Norrmalmstorg 2 is one of the first places everyone says you should go in Stockholm. It used to be the bank where Jan-Erik Olsson robbed the Sveriges Kreditbanken headquarters on August 23, 1973, which is where the term “Stockholm Syndrome” came from. In that spot, which is somewhere between a store and a place of worship, Acne Studios’ full status twenty-six years after it began is fully acknowledged. Mats Johansson, Jesper Kouthoofd, Tomas Skoging, and Jonny Johansson started this Swedish talent show, which was first called Associated Computer Nerd Enterprises and later changed its name to Ambition to Create Novel Expressions. I met Johansson, the brand’s creative director, at Acne Studios’ headquarters at Floragatan 13, which used to be the Czechoslovakian embassy and is now one of the most sought-after places in the fashion world. I wear a ripped Patagonia sweater, jeans, and rubber boots, and I meet Jonny on the top floor of the building. We meet in the private office of the ambassador, which has been turned into an extension of Acne Studios after years of construction. The Brutalist building contains the whole essence of the brand. From the bookstore to the canteen, which used to be the ambassadors’ movie theater and now has two sculptures by Helmut Lang, each room reveals the essence of Acne Studios.
When I ask Jonny how Acne Studios became a global brand while keeping its Swedish roots, he says, “I have no idea how it happened.” “If you asked me to describe the brand’s DNA, I couldn’t. I want it to be a mystery for me too.” Design is what makes business in the end, so I always put it first. That’s why it needs to be protected. Thats what Ive been doing for twenty-six years, protecting design. There are companies where the buyers tell the designers what to do. In its purest form, design is like coming up with something new, even if it’s just a pair of pants with two legs. Which I prefer to those with three,» he says with a laugh. Acne Studios has always been driven by a desire to keep design alive. The company is very connected to its Swedish roots, as shown by its partnership with Kero, a family-owned brand that was founded in 1929 and is based in Sattajarvi, Lapland. In the middle of nowhere, some would say. “It’s a small business where my aunt makes the shoe soles,” Jonny says, which is pretty close to the truth. The beak shoes at the center of the collaboration are made by hand at the Kero location and have roots in the history of the area and the nomadic Sami people. «They are very beautiful in their original version,” Jonny explains. “But looking at your shoes they are chunky while these are thin. We reconstructed them trying to make them more modern, but trying to stay true to the original. ».
When it comes to Acne Studios, the word “collaboration” has a different meaning. As a fashion house that works with a lot of different types of artists, the company has always been open to different kinds of partnerships. For example, in 2018, Acne Studios teamed up with Fjallraven, a Swedish brand, and with Grant Levy-Lucero and William Wegman, two artists who are close to the brand’s style. So, it was a smart choice, and Jonny Johansson explained it with what might be called a challenge: “If Gucci asked me to work with them, I wouldn’t know what to say.” I like Gucci, but I dont think we would have much to offer them. With Lanvin, it had been different. The first thing he says is, “They came to us,” referring to the 2009 partnership between Lanvin and Acne Studios. «Also, Jeanne Lanvin and I worked together in the 1920s and 1930s; it was an important part of the brand’s history. I don’t want to turn anyone down, but I don’t think we could work with Gucci. Theyre already pretty good on their own. » But Acne Studios does offer something through its designs, and that is the idea of honest, loyal fashion, which is often used as the main source of inspiration.
Johansson has talked about this idea a number of times, and he brought it up again during our conversation. «The concept of honesty is nothing but my way of working. The show we did in Paris is a very good example of that. CEO of the brand Mattias wanted to find a way to celebrate ten years since our first show in Paris. I didn’t want it to be a celebration of the brand itself, though. Its ridiculous when people celebrate themselves. Then Leopold Duchemin, someone I work with, got married, and I could watch the whole thing on Instagram. It seems like that moment shows a famous celebration that can also hold a lot of tension and conflict. That was something that was happening to me and I decided to use it in my work. Thats what honesty means to me. We know for sure that the brand’s core values will stand the test of time. These values are unique because the brand is independent, which gives it a lot of freedom. In addition to the aforementioned “honesty,” the concept of “freedom” is part of the brands strengths. As CEO Mattias Magnusson also confirmed to me a few nights later. But there is no freedom without risk, as a coworker points out when they ask, “Have you ever been afraid of going out of style?” Johansson responds almost sepia-toned, “It’s a double-edged sword.” «You want to be accepted, but you also want to be unique. If youre part of this world you want to be loved but also to feel special. » If making people feel special is the ultimate goal, then Acne Studios has definitely achieved that goal, setting a great example that many other brands should follow.
The Beginning Of Acne Studios – Mikael Schiller
FAQ
What is the hiring process for Acne Studios?
What is it like to work at acne studios?
Does acne look bad at an interview?
Is Acne Studios a good company to work for?
I have worked for many retail companies before. Acne Studios invests in their people and believes in helping its staff develop. There is much growth from entry level but begins to rough when you reach store manager level due to few positions higher thatn that, But you can always apply for corporate.
I have severe acne. What can I do?
If you have severe acne, you might want to visit a dermatologist who will diagnose and grade your acne and start treatment for the same accordingly. You should avoid oily food and avoid using any cream without consulting your doctor as it may worsen the condition.
Who is Acne Studios?
Acne Studios is a multidisciplinary luxury fashion house based in Stockholm, Sweden with own-brand retail stores in locations around the world. It was founded in 1996 as part of the creative collective ACNE.
Is acne a good company?
People are nice to work with but salaries are low. Sales objectives are difficult to reach. At Acne, the training is amazing, the company culture is ideal, and the benefits are really great. However, the pay is less than its competitors and impossible to live off of without working full time. Even then, not sure if it’s worth it.
