Zalando returns to CPHFW for the fourth edition of the Zalando Visionary Award

Zalando celebrated the brand INSTITUTION, led by designer Galib Gassanoff, as the winner of the Zalando Visionary Award 2026, presenting its SS27 collection at Copenhagen Fashion Week.
An immersive Zalando Visionary Space was opened to the public at Copenhagen Contemporary, offering visitors an intimate look into the intersection of fashion, technology, and craft through a series of hands-on workshops, exhibitions, and activations.
Now in its fourth edition, the Zalando Visionary Award reflects Zalando’s ongoing commitment to supporting innovation, social impact, and diverse creative talents in the fashion industry.

2026 // This week, Zalando returned to Copenhagen to celebrate the SS27 season of the Zalando Visionary Award. INSTITUTION, this year’s award winner, hosted its debut show on the Copenhagen Fashion Week runway, while Zalando invited fashion enthusiasts to explore the Zalando Visionary Space, a dynamic exhibition space, open for two days, that celebrates the creative forces behind the Zalando Visionary Award.

Led by designer Galib Gassanoff, the brand INSTITUTION made its debut at Copenhagen Fashion Week with its SS27 collection, entitled YAD, at the National Gallery of Denmark. Meaning both “stranger” and “memory” in Azerbaijani, YAD traced a journey from raw material to finished garment, exploring themes related to belonging and cultural heritage. The collection blended contemporary tailoring with the craft of local communities from Georgia, where Gassanoff grew up, with the knitted pieces created by these artisans in collaboration with the designer. The models walked barefoot in handmade jorabi, a reference to the Caucasian tradition of removing shoes before entering a home, alongside sculptural pieces made from cotton cord, celebrating the knowledge of the artisans and preserving techniques passed down from generation to generation.

“Galib Gassanoff’s passion and creativity shine through in every piece of this collection. His dedication to craft and storytelling embodies exactly what the Zalando Visionary Award set out to celebrate; it was a pleasure to see INSTITUTION bring this vision to life on the Copenhagen Fashion Week stage,” adds Sara Spannar, VP Global Marketing at Zalando and member of the Zalando Visionary Award jury.

Following the presentation, Zalando hosted a celebratory dinner at Restaurant Superbon, bringing together industry leaders, media representatives, and change-makers from the fashion world for an evening dedicated to connection and creativity.

Alongside the celebrations, Zalando opened an immersive space to the public, the Visionary Space, at Copenhagen Contemporary. The exhibition brought together current and past winners INSTITUTION, IAMISIGO, Paolina Russo, and Sinéad O’Dwyer for installations and hands-on workshops, while also showcasing a monumental digital and sculptural exhibition, specially commissioned from Brazilian artist Gabriel Massan.

As the winner of the Zalando Visionary Award 2026, the brand INSTITUTION received a cash prize of €50,000. Beyond the financial support, Zalando supports INSTITUTION through mentoring opportunities, personalized business development resources, and access to key industry networks, thus consolidating its commitment to supporting innovation, social impact, and diverse creative talents across the entire fashion industry.