MARKGONG SS26 Asks What Freedom Means for Women Today
info@hypebae.com (Hypebae) Mon, 20 Oct 2025 Hypebae
Mark Gong has always designed for women who refuse to wait for permission, but for Spring/Summer 2026 he handed them the keys. At Shanghai Fashion Week, under his eponymous label MARKGONG, the designer turned the headlights to his muses who "take the wheel, set their own pace and never slow down."
Loosely inspired by Thelma & Louise, the collection, title "Catch Us If You Can," captures the beauty of defiance in motion. Lace and leather, denim and dust arrive as contrasts that shouldn't belong together but do, effortlessly. Gong's women aren’t running from anything; they're moving toward something new, steering through contradiction with grace and grit. In collaboration with jewlery label YVMIN, the brand furthered its narrative with chrome fragments of headlights and mirrors which transformed symbols of surveillance into tools of self-protection.
Continue reading as we speak with Gong about his inspirations behind the collection, his design process and the brand's team up with YVMIN.
While you're here, check out our full recap of SHFW SS26.
Do you remember the exact moment that you came up with the collection concept "Catch Us If You Can"?
It actually started when I was scrolling through my phone and came across photos from my first collection in 2019, the "Cowboy" collection. I have always been drawn to that world, but at the time my perspective felt more masculine, more about the mythology of the cowboy than the women who lived outside those rules. Looking back now, I wanted to revisit that energy through a female lens and ask what freedom means for women today. That question became the seed of "Catch Us If You Can." It is not just about running away; it is about deciding how far you will go to own your story.
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Run us through your YVMIN collab. How did it come to be?
I have known Shaliu from YVMIN for years and we had always talked about working together. A few months ago, we began exploring how to translate the feeling of rebellion and motion from Thelma and Louise into something wearable. I kept thinking about the car parts from the film: the mirrors, the police lights, the sense of alert and reflection. Together we turned those symbols into sculptural body accessories that feel like fragments of the journey. Each piece carries the memory of speed and risk, transforming car parts into forms of protection and self-possession.
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From a design lens, was there any technique that you experimented with for the first time this season?
This season we experimented a lot with material and construction. The embroidered cowboy boots were a first for us and took months to perfect, from pattern to fit. We also developed a new process for the leather pieces using three-dimensional padding. It starts with a digital model, then heat and adhesive are applied behind the leather to create raised forms. The goal was to balance softness and strength, to bring a feminine touch without losing the toughness that defines the brand.
How would you describe this season's MARKGONG woman?
Free. Brave. Unapologetic.
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