The Royal Danish Academy SS26: Graduation Show of Vision and Experiment
At Copenhagen Fashion Week SS26, the stage belonged to the next generation. The Royal Danish Academy’s graduation show featured 12 young designers from 9 different nationalities, each exploring themes of sustainability, diversity, and identity.
As the leading academy in Scandinavia in the fields of architecture, design, and conservation, the Royal Danish Academy is renowned for its boundary-pushing approach. Rooted in six institutes that span education, research, consultancy, and innovation, the school fosters bold experimentation — and this year’s fashion graduates did not disappoint.
Hair as Fabric, Art as Fashion
One of the most striking concepts came from garments crafted out of hair. Dresses, tops, and accessories seemed to borrow from the spirit of Martin Margiela, yet felt unmistakably of the moment. The season’s polka-dot trend was reinterpreted in the most audacious way: oversized spots painted onto a hair-woven dress. Metallic studs reinforced the motif, merging natural and industrial references.
Sculptural Textiles
Other looks pushed the material language of fashion even further. Dresses appeared to be knitted from metal — structured fabrics that held abstract sculptural forms while remaining transparent and weightless. Models seemed like ethereal figures stepping out of water, clothed in strands of seaweed or light sea foam.
Baby Doll Reimagined
The baby-doll silhouette returned in whimsical yet futuristic forms. Models wore voluminous wigs, short flared dresses, cropped trousers, and satin ballet flats, accessorized with oversized kerchiefs. It was a naïve chic, playful and nostalgic, yet reimagined with a bold modern sensibility.
Menswear: Relaxed and Refined
Menswear explored both looseness and ceremony. On one hand, relaxed tailoring revealed an attention to detail: checkered trousers folded into sculptural pleats, coats and shirts decorated with oversized appliqués. On the other, more formal looks emerged — leather garments, lustrous silk suits in deep jewel tones, and accessories crafted from sculpted leather flowers, adding romanticism and depth.
Knitwear and Craft
Knitwear rounded out the showcase, with dresses and coats that embraced comfort while challenging convention. Experimental prints, denim details, and unusual surface treatments created a tactile and contemporary take on the most traditional of textiles.
The Royal Danish Academy SS26 graduation show highlighted why Copenhagen is such a hub of innovation. These collections were not merely about clothing — they were about questioning form, exploring materials, and blurring the line between art and fashion.
From hair as fabric to sculptural metal knits, from baby-doll nostalgia to romantic menswear, the graduates revealed the richness of ideas that can emerge when education nurtures fearless creativity.
In a fashion world often dominated by speed and repetition, the Royal Danish Academy offered a reminder: the future of design lies in experimentation, in vision, and in the courage to create what has never been seen before.
Fashion editor: Jekaterina CIMKANE @cimkane
Photo: Copenhagen Fashion Week
