Meet Our Friend Magnus

1. First of all, would you like to introduce yourself to our readers?

My name is Magnus and I'm from Stockholm. I would say I'm a creative person, in different ways. But I don't think so much about it. I just do it. That's how I see myself: creative.

DJing is more something I do. I've always liked music. I'm always listening to it and I've always made mixtapes, so it comes from there.

2. What does your day to day look like?

Work days I go up at 06.30, do some work out, having breakfast and then make myself ready. Then I take my bike to work. In the evenings I usually listen to new releases/ tracks. A couple of times per week I also do some running.

I spend a lot of my evenings listening to music and checking out new tracks. I use Bandcamp a lot. I've signed up for newsletters from a lot of record labels, so I always have new releases in my inbox. I always try to go through everything.

I don't have a playlist on in the background while I'm doing other things. When I listen, I'm really listening: “Is this a track I like?” “Is this a track I can use?” Mostly it's for DJing, finding tracks I want to buy or use in a set. I don't really make playlists.

Sometimes I just have the radio on. I don't like everything they play, but I think it's good to have. You find out what's going on.

3. For anyone who wants to get to know you better, there’s the book, ‘My Friend Magnus’ compiling your style and philosophy daily at Acne Studios’ headquarters over three years. How did the book idea come about, and how was the experience for you?

The idea came from Jonny [Johansson] who wanted to do a 365 days photodiary what I was wearing daily at the office. The timeline was extended so it ended up with 200 pictures from the past years. It was a great thing to do and I´m happy if I can inspire other people. I have got a lot of new friends.

4. The topic of personal style is buzzing online. What would you say people are getting wrong about it?

Personal style is something you have from the heart, not something you create to impress others. For me, it's not something you can create. It's something you have, naturally.

5. What is your earliest fashion memory?

I have always been interested in it so I can't say when. But the first more “real” was in like 87-88 when it was my first time in Paris. I had a chance to attend the NIKOS fashion show. Mostly known for their underwear. 

6. Between Stockholm, Paris and Berlin, how does each city feed your style and mood?

Each city has a different vibe. Stockholm is my hometown. I like the mix of the easy access to nature as well as the city vibe. Berlin for the music, clubs, people and I have many friends there. Paris of course for the fashion and the culture. There are something romantic about the city (the typical saying about Paris hahaha).

But a city can also trick you. Sometimes in Paris you see something and feel, "Oh, this is so good, I really like it." Then you come home to Stockholm, and it doesn't feel the same to wear it. When you're in a new city, with a lot of people around you, in a special moment, maybe going to a party, you can wear something really out there. At home, in your daily life, it just doesn't feel right.

So I've learned not to be too affected by the situation or the city I'm in. That's something that can lead to a mistake, a decision that wasn't good.

7. Walk us through getting dressed on an ordinary morning. Does it start with a piece, a mood or a song?

It usually starts with one piece that I would like to wear and then I “build” from that. I usually have the idea ready the evening before.

Then I look at what I have to combine it with. I never buy a whole look. I always buy separate pieces that I think can go with something I already have. When I add a new piece, I try to figure out how many combinations I can make with it, not just one. It's not for one moment. So I hardly ever buy a total look, like pants, a jacket and everything together.

8. How do you archive and store everything? Do you ever let pieces go?

I have everything at my home [Stockholm] in protection “bags” —hanging or storage boxes. I'm bad at letting pieces go… They are a time document for me.

Home is my apartment, and it's full. Of course there are some things I could let go of. But there's always a reason why you buy something. You remember the feeling, or the time, or how much you wanted it. 

9. What memories/items come to mind most strongly?

My first Walter Van Beirendonck sweater, bought around '88–'89. There was no internet shopping then. I had read about it in a magazine, so I called the store in London. It was a multi-brand store that doesn't exist anymore, and I don't remember its name. You couldn't pay by card, so you had to send the money by mail order. I still have that sweater, because it was the first piece. It's like a time document for me. I remember that time, and how much I really wanted it.

10. You crafted your visual identity pre-internet. Has the internet influenced you in some ways?

There was more magic before. You had to have a specific interest to look for things, source yourself and learn. Now everything comes really easy. You had to travel, things were not so accessible. 

Of course the internet has had an influence. It's much easier to get things now. Today you look at your phone and you see everything. You can even watch the show live. Back then, only invited people could go to the show. Maybe a magazine did a feature on the latest collection, and you read about it. 

You really had to struggle to find pieces. I wouldn't say fight, that's the wrong word, but you had to make an effort. Now it's one click and it arrives the next day by DHL.

And you couldn't have everything you wanted. If something wasn't available in your city, you had to travel to get it. I'm sure I would have bought more Walter Van Beirendonck, but it wasn't available in Sweden then, and it was hard to access. And that wasn't only Walter, it was everything. I was a big fan of Gaultier, and that was something you had to go to Paris to find. So when you finally got a piece, there was more magic in it, because you had really made an effort for it.

It's the same with music. Before, you had to go to the record store to find a new song. Maybe you'd heard something on the radio, but then you had to go and look through the new releases that had come in.

11. You mentioned to Grau Magazine in 2025 that you DJ with the same rule you dress by: only what you truly vibe with. Do music and clothes feed each other for you?

Yes, they do but it is difficult to describe in words. It´s just a feeling.

12. You describe yourself as "sometimes creative, sometimes DJ, never standing still." What keeps you moving? 

Curiosity. If you lose curiosity, or interest in other people and other things, then you don't want to keep going. It's about being interested: in people, in things, in what's going on.

But it doesn't mean I'm constantly looking for new things. I'm not trying to see ten new exhibitions just to keep up. That's not interesting. It's more about being open. There may be things you want to take in, but you don't have to adopt everything.

13. What advice would you give someone who wants to dress more freely but is scared of being looked at? 

As always, you must feel comfortable in what you are wearing. I think if you wear something just to impress and that you don´t like it, it always shines through. I think this also belongs to the personal style that we discussed before. So, my advice is to listen to yourself and do what you want, not what others think. In the long term that shows self-confidence and personal style.