Galib Gassanoff's Poetic S/S 2027 Show at Copenhagen Fashion Week

At Copenhagen Fashion Week's S/S 2027 edition, Galib Gassanoff presented his collection under the label Institution, offering a poetic contrast to the event's street style spectacle. The show took place inside the Statens Museum for Kunst, with a runway lined with antique carpets from the Caucasus region, evoking the shared cultural history of Central Asia, Northern Iran, Anatolia, and Eastern Europe. Gassanoff, winner of the Zalando Visionary Award 2026 and semi-finalist for the 2026 LVMH Prize, emphasized that his work is more about culture, ethnography, and craftsmanship than fashion. He grew up in a village of 4,000 people near Tbilisi, Georgia, and discovered fashion through John Galliano's work for Dior at age 13. After moving to Milan at 18 to study at the Haute Future Fashion Academy, he has championed traditional tailoring techniques like horsehair and handstitched hemlines. The collection featured Azerbaijani 'jorab' socks and hand-knitted cotton cord tabards by women from his native region, as well as white silk chiffon robes adorned with 'Tetri' coins, introduced after Georgia's independence in 1995. These pieces can open flat to become wall pieces, blurring the line between art and clothing. Gassanoff, who is Azerbaijani of Georgia, views his label as a 'roof' for his team and communities, aiming to amplify diverse stories. His Copenhagen show was a guest spot, and he noted that Scandinavia was not an inspiration, focusing instead on the rich carpets.