Galib Gassanoff is the founder and creative director of Institution, a brand born in 2024 as his solo project after co-designing Act N°1 (with Luca Lin). With Institution Gassanoff wants to explore his personal path based on his roots. He’s Georgian of Azerbaijani descent, raised in the Tbilisi outskirts amidst contrasting cultures—and sometimes rigid taboos—where traditions are a fundamental part of daily life. The idea of creating an institution, more than a “simple” brand, he said, is related to a desire for something that goes beyond fashion and embraces social-artistic goals, too.
Institution’s first show held during Milan Fashion Week presented EL, the third collection since its inception. In Turkic languages, this short word refers to a group of people united by a common heritage, and being part of this community, Gassanoff wanted to explore his identity. Elements such as wool, fur, carpets, and knits have always been an important presence in his memories, so he wanted to celebrate them through a personal reinterpretation.
Many of the pieces were assembled by the designer himself. Showcased in the ancient spaces of Bagatti Valsecchi Museum in Milan, they demonstrated incredible craftsmanship, modernized through contemporary upcycling techniques. The clearest example was represented by the hand weaving of some of the dresses, tops, and skirts that recalled the carpet-making tradition of Gassanoff’s Azerbaijani community. When the technique was applied to cotton shoelaces it became almost sculptural. A top made of reclaimed buttons was inspired by the way servants used to carry typical coins with holes in the center during the Russian empire.
The tartan-blanket-wrapped looks were a reference to how old women of the community used to dress up. While the duvet proposals were a recall to heavy and wool-padded blankets, typically used to deal with the cold in Georgia, here they were rethought to be super light and comfortable, besides presented in a sophisticated cream white. Capes were an homage to the ones worn by his shepherd ancestors who practiced transhumance in the Caucasus for centuries, reworked by Gassanoff in a sheer chiffon-like fabric or in a thick wool version, both with a very structured silhouette.
Among the most impressive pieces were tops and skirts made of a floral jacquard fil coupé, built upside down and not shaved—as it usually is—to obtain a very theatrical fur-like effect. That was also chosen for an ankle-length sleeveless dress.
