Li Gong’s latest 8ON8 collection, titled Dual Adsorption, was enveloped in a whimsical narrative that initially seemed challenging to decipher. According to the designer, the story revolved around a traveler arriving in an enigmatic garden inhabited by an unusual species of double-headed and double-shelled snails. Gong described this narrative as a product of “ideas flashing across my mind” and emphasized his aim to evoke a surreal feeling grounded in reality.
After the show, Gong discussed his entry in a creative direction competition at Shanghai Fashion Week. He presented a space resembling a cabin where a bed was the centerpiece, surrounded by racks of the collection’s garments and what he termed “nonsense pieces”: speakers encased in mushroom-shaped fabric and wooden trays and bowls mounted on roller skate wheels.
This setting provided a context for the earlier fashion show, suggesting that the eclectic randomness of Gong’s designs followed a logic reminiscent of Lewis Carroll. This approach used absurdity and innocence to challenge traditional norms. Under this theme, the oversized turn-ups on pants and the faux fur fringe on the shoulders and arms of a leather blouson were crafted to appear intriguingly odd. The argyle waistcoats, padded and inflated to mimic the snail’s protective shell, also bore a resemblance to lifejackets.
The collection featured waistcoats and shirts with gorpcore gusset pockets, Asics collaboration sneakers, jersey-cut garden gnome hats, checkered shirts and shorts overlaid with leopard print, pannier skirts worn under vented outerwear, a tonal floral jacquard parka, and a quarter zip adorned with a lattice of knit collection-icon emojis. Some sweaters displayed argyle patterns, but the lines and diamonds were so drastically rearranged that they barely resembled the original design.
As the show concluded, models walked out to the sound of Leroy Gomez singing, “I’m just a soul whose intentions are good. Oh, Lord, please don’t let me be misunderstood.” This theme of evasion through misunderstanding appeared to be a deliberate aspect of the 8ON8 show.
