Mark Gong wants to look at women differently this time around. For the Autumn/Winter 2026 collection, he explains that “power is not about how wide the shoulders are, or how strong the posture looks. I did not want to express it that way.”
What this collection translates to is a different reading of the modern woman. She is a contemporary paradox hyper-glossy yet hyper-aware, seductive yet intellectually in control. The fantasy still exists, but she is the one directing it, fully aware of what she is doing and how she is being perceived.
When you place this against his previous collections, there is a noticeable shift. Before, the focus leaned heavily into structure: broadened shoulders, sharper tailoring, silhouettes that almost announced power before anything else. That language was very direct. Strength looked like dominance, like presence, like something you could immediately read from a distance.
But this season, that idea of strength is quieter, more internal, and far more complex. It is not something that needs to be proven. It simply exists.
The silhouettes now mirror the body. They move with it, not against it. There is a kind of ease in how everything sits, nothing feels forced, nothing feels overly constructed for the sake of it. Lace and bows are applied with a softness that feels intentional, something the eye can appreciate without it becoming too delicate or overly romantic. Then he layers that with tweed and gingham checks, bringing in a contrast that grounds the looks.
There is also floral beading and embellishment running through the collection, and it creates this tension that keeps coming back innocence versus invitation. It never fully settles into one side.
The collection begins to almost build on itself. The textures come in layers, the trims add dimension, and there is a constant push and pull between restraint and excess. It feels like the clothes are teasing the idea of volume without fully giving in to it like they are aware of how far they can go, but choose to hold something back. That tension is what keeps the pieces interesting. Nothing feels flat.
Another strong translation of femininity comes through in the use of colour. There is floral pink, velvet purple, olive green tones that feel rich, almost indulgent. It leans fully into desire and visual pleasure without apology. This might be one of the house’s most vibrant and saturated collections to date, but it doesn’t feel loud for the sake of it. It feels controlled.
For the runway, the show invites you into the warmest, most internal parts of a woman’s mind. It is not just about what she looks like, but what she is navigating. The desire to love and be loved, the longing for freedom, the quiet acceptance of imperfection. The space itself becomes part of that feeling, an immersive, almost intimate setting, with a stage that unfolds like a maze of purple velvet.
And with that, the collection starts asking questions. The kind that don’t always have direct answers. Can a woman exist as both sweet and sexy without needing to choose? Can she truly be free while still being in control? Can she fully lean into her desires, her fantasies, without feeling like there is already a script written for her?
This collection feels like it is speaking directly to her. Her power, her game, her rules. It embraces softness, but not as something fragile more as something instinctive, something that doesn’t need to be hidden or explained. There are no walls here. Just a deeper exploration of what it means to exist fully, and to own that space without hesitation.
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Written by Maria Jonah
