There is a conspiracy theory that Sweden is quietly taking over the world. If that’s true, Jonny Johansson and his fanatically popular fashion brand, ACNE, will certainly be in the power seats. Johansson and three colleagues started the creative collective-and future lifestyle label-in Stockholm in 1996 with the dream of dipping their hands into every possible pocket of art and culture (the name is an acronym for Ambition to Create Novel Expressions). After they unleashed 100 pairs of unisex jeans on friends, family, and clients one year later, the ACNE denim rush was on. Jeans might have been the gateway drug, but soon the brand was supplying a young global fan base with everything from radically elegant casual sportswear to stuffed animals. They even have their own biannual magazine. This year, ACNE teamed up with another cultishly popular label, Lanvin, for a collaboration on couture-like pieces executed in blue denim for both guys and girls. Like most things ACNE, the partnership between creative director Johansson and Lanvin creative director Alber Elbaz happened almost by accident, while talking casually at dinner. Here, 39-year-old Johansson talks just as casually about what inspires him, why his office manager is building sculptures in the corner, and how nothing’s better than a perfect vintage guitar.