Newcomer Mark Gong Gives Gorpcore an Elegant Makeover

Liana Satenstein

Newcomer Mark Gong Gives Gorpcore an Elegant Makeover

<cite class="credit">Courtesy of Anne Z. Chen</cite>
Courtesy of Anne Z. Chen
<cite class="credit">Courtesy of Anne Z. Chen</cite>
Courtesy of Anne Z. Chen
<cite class="credit">Courtesy of Anne Z. Chen</cite>
Courtesy of Anne Z. Chen
<cite class="credit">Courtesy of Anne Z. Chen</cite>
Courtesy of Anne Z. Chen
<cite class="credit">Courtesy of Anne Z. Chen</cite>
Courtesy of Anne Z. Chen
<cite class="credit">Courtesy of Anne Z. Chen</cite>
Courtesy of Anne Z. Chen
<cite class="credit">Courtesy of Anne Z. Chen</cite>
Courtesy of Anne Z. Chen
<cite class="credit">Courtesy of Anne Z. Chen</cite>
Courtesy of Anne Z. Chen
<cite class="credit">Courtesy of Anne Z. Chen</cite>
Courtesy of Anne Z. Chen
<cite class="credit">Courtesy of Anne Z. Chen</cite>
Courtesy of Anne Z. Chen

At 21, Mark Gong is an outdoors lover, but that wasn’t always the case. Before studying at Parsons, the young designer attended the private Midland School in Los Olivos, California, the curriculum of which is focused on living in nature. Those four years isolated from all the standard teenage fun—screens included—made quite an impression. “When I first started, I was so mad. Being removed from luxuries and technology at a young age made me want them even more,” Gong said after his show. “It wasn’t until I was stuck in nature for a while that I appreciated the beauty of it all.” His aim for his second collection was to create a fantasy version of his time spent in the woods.

Crunch-tastic “gorpcore” has been happening for several seasons now. London’s brilliant Craig Green sends his models out wearing what are essentially tents. Rick Owens, too. What makes Gong’s approach to the look unique is how he renders fresh air themes elegant with his attention to tailoring and silhouette. One example of this is a wicker jacket with a sharply nipped waist that he sent down the runway.

The concept worked best when gear informed the structure of the clothing. Orange and gray bungee cords were woven raffia-style into a sturdy crop top, and sage green bungees crisscrossed a sleeveless dress with a funky helix-shaped volume. The most promising element of the collection was his embroidery, as seen on a floral stitched coat and pants. The pieces were sewn in an inside-out style so that the inner work was visible on the outside of the coat. Instead of a standard floral print, the technique gave the appearance of very beautiful, blotted leaves.

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Originally Appeared on Vogue