Forza Collective descended beneath Copenhagen Fashion Week—both literally and figuratively—presenting its Spring/Summer 2026 collection nearly 100 meters below Ofelia Square in a raw, brutalist parking structure transformed into a temple of shadow and light. Natural beams streamed through overhead skylights, cutting across concrete pillars in sharp geometry, mirroring designer Kristoffer Kongshaug’s exploration of opposites: structure and softness, history and modernity, minimalism and romance.

Drawing from the elegance of 1920s and 30s French fashion illustrations, Kongshaug reimagined dropped waistlines, sculptural drapes, and hyper-structured silhouettes through the distilled clarity of 90s minimalism. The result was a quiet yet magnetic wardrobe where precision and fluidity coexisted—garments that invited close inspection rather than demanding spectacle. A white crepe dress with a cowl-draped front and satin teardrop insert embodied this duality, as did a black handkerchief dress with full-circle neck and waist draping, fastened with a belt fragment from a Martingale coat. These were not nostalgic reproductions but bold reinterpretations, anchoring vintage form in a modern narrative.

Masculine and feminine codes intertwined in draped suiting that hinted at layered skirts while retaining trouser practicality. Shirt dresses with elongated ascot collars and extended cuffs blurred formal and relaxed dressing, while a square-neck crepe dress with a pronounced flared skirt introduced a new sculptural rhythm. Elsewhere, mesh capes, exposed shoulders, and draped ties across bustlines punctuated the collection’s controlled silhouettes with moments of sensual release. Textures unfolded in hushed luxury—light crepe, twill, cotton canvas, and twisted cotton yarn—each adding dimension without excess.

The soundtrack, handpicked by Kongshaug, pulsed with 90s house beats from Green Velvet’s La La Land to Monster Montage Video’s Money, Success, Fame, Glamour, infusing the subterranean space with an undercurrent of urgency. Beauty choices, led by Marianne Jensen for Kerasilk, paired theatrical precision with restraint—sleek bobs, sculpted buns, and straight hair by BHBD wigs, alongside “non make-up make-up” by Mads Stig Studio, creating an effortless day-to-night fluidity.

Forza Collective’s SS26 was more than a collection; it was a meditative descent into the tension between past and future, light and shadow. In a season of speed and spectacle, Kongshaug chose depth, discipline, and detail—proving that sometimes, to see the future of fashion, one must first go underground.