August 5th marked the busiest day of Copenhagen Fashion Week SS27, with nine shows scheduled. It opened with the show by the winner of the Zalando Visionary Award 2026 and closed with the clean silhouettes of Mfpen.
Indeed, it was Institution that kicked off the day at 10am.
Founded in Milan by Azerbaijani-Georgian designer Galib Gassanoff, the brand was recognized by Zalando for its social and artistic approach, its commitment to the community, and its preservation of artisanal skills that are declining in the fashion industry. This show came at a particularly opportune time for the label, as Institution had also secured a place as a finalist for the prestigious LVMH Prize that same year. The Zalando Prize, celebrating its fourth edition, provided its winner with substantial support, including a €50,000 grant and €35,000 in production funding for the August show.
Yesterday, his Copenhagen Fashion Week show was held in a glass pavilion, with kilim rugs laid out on the floor as the sole set design—a subtle nod to the designer's Caucasian roots. The collection is embodied, for example, by an off-white, fully pleated dress, cinched in a central knot that creates an almost sculptural volume at the bust before cascading into a full skirt to the floor. The effect is direct, almost architectural: the garment is viewed head-on as a single piece rather than as part of a wardrobe.
Knitwear plays a central role in the collection. A black turtleneck sweater is covered with an immense knitted shawl, draped and knotted at hip level, its panels falling asymmetrically to the calves—a gesture of layering rather than cutting. Further on, a double-breasted vest in pale gray, semi-transparent ribbed knit is tied over flowing black trousers: the garment, double-fastened with mismatched buttons, appears to have been wrapped around the body.
The most striking moment remains a sheath dress in tulle covered with hundreds of coins sewn directly onto the fabric, its hue fading from bronze to silver from the bodice to the hem. This piece best embodies the artisanal work championed by the house: a garment-armor made from everyday objects repurposed as adornment, a technique that had already earned Institution its previous collections featuring raffia and knotted rugs.
The collection continues to explore the twisted knit. A black sweater is wrapped in an oversized knitted scarf, its diagonal ribs reaching up to the chin, a gesture reminiscent of a turban repurposed as a shoulder accessory. The same piece reappears in ecru, worn directly against the skin over a flowing black skirt, with this spiral drape becoming the show's signature textile element.
Tulle makes a second appearance, this time in a black sheath dress, striated with long braided cords that cascade down its entire length. A shorter version, in white organza tied at the waist with a huge, ethereal volume, closes the women's wardrobe on a much lighter, almost bridal note, contrasting with the straight black trousers worn underneath.
Layered suits continue to be a staple for menswear: an ecru cape-dress with wide lapels, worn with arms crossed like a ritual garment, and an off-white ensemble where the scarf is draped diagonally across the chest, like a knotted shawl. Camel reappears with a second wrap-style trench coat, identical in spirit to the first, confirming that this shade remains one of the season's key colors, along with taupe.
This new passage confirms one thing above all: the Institution's changing room functions by repeating gestures: tying, layering, dropping.
The color palette remains consistent throughout: ecru, black, camel, earthy brown. Conversely, a draped dress in taupe-brown wool, with a panel of fabric thrown over the shoulder and left free, closes the collection on a more raw note, one of the rare moments where the construction of the garment remains visible, like a sculptor's drape.
The wardrobe, gendered in a fluid way between masculine and feminine silhouettes, confirms what the jury of the Zalando Visionary Award praised in January: a very manual relationship to clothing, where draping, knotting and assembly take precedence over classic cutting.
