MARRKNULL Tops: Unexpected Shapes to Know

Some labels ask you to choose a side, and MARRKNULL seems far more interested in the seam between them. Tim Shi and Wang Wei started it in Beijing in 2016, one coming from architectural design and the other from fashion knitting, and you can feel both in the clothes. They take familiar forms, then distort the shape or cross them with an unexpected reference. I went deeper on a related idea in MADISON THE LABEL Tops: Easy Pieces to Know.

The idea reached a bigger stage when they won the VFiles runway competition in Brooklyn in 2018 and carried that season's scenic-spot concept to London Fashion Week. The label later became an LVMH Prize semifinalist in 2023. I like that the clothes read as questions about culture and identity and not an exercise in shock.

What I notice is the everyday vocabulary underneath the strangeness: a shirt, coat, skirt or trouser that refuses to behave exactly as expected. That is a useful kind of fashion tension.

The tops are a good place to meet MARRKNULL, where a familiar category turns uncertain. Off-shoulder Leather Crop Top, Messy Two-piece Plaid Shirt and Dislocation Two-piece Top put the idea right in the names: asymmetry, layering, a shape that never settles into a simple shirt. Printed Camisole and Asymmetric Beaded Chiffon Top give the line a lighter register without losing the tension.

Picture her in Asymmetrical Lace-Up Corset with a straight pant, letting the shape lead. Printed Pleated Corset Top, Asymmetrical Ruffle T-Shirt and Patchwork Chiffon Top round out the group. My note is to keep the lower half simple when the top is doing this much. What I would skip is a bag or jacket that adds a fourth idea.

Outerwear is where the interest in construction is easiest to read. Two-piece Waxed Trench Coat and Faux Two-piece Blazer borrow familiar forms, then interrupt them with a split or layered effect. Underarm Bag Leather Jacket turns one category into another, which is the label's favorite habit. Hooded Fur Coat is the warmer option, though this group is less about ordinary layering than a changed silhouette.

Picture her in the trench on a grey morning, the rest of the outfit kept spare. I would try these on with my usual layers before deciding, since the shape is part of the point.

A skirt is not an easy thing to treat as a blank canvas, and this group does not try. Two-Piece Denim Skirt, Printed Skirt and Beaded Midi Skirt come at the silhouette from three directions: utilitarian, graphic and evening. Asymmetric Leather Mini Skort is the clearest case of a familiar garment made a little unsettled while staying easy to wear with a plain top.

I would keep shoes and accessories quiet with the beaded skirt so the texture has room to show. For the skort, decide on tights or bare legs before the day starts, so you are not deciding it at the door.

These bottoms show the contrast at the heart of the label: an ordinary pair of jeans beside a mesh-panel trouser and shorts that lean into odd construction. Roll-Cuff Slim Fit Jean is the calm way in, while Mesh Panel Long Pant and Knot Shirt Short are the ones I would use to make an outfit feel more unexpected. Two-piece Short keeps the layered idea going without needing a dramatic top.

Picture her in Mesh Panel Long Pant with a close camisole, letting the panel do the talking. Check what shows through it, and choose an underlayer that feels comfortable sitting and moving.

I am drawn to MARRKNULL because its clothes do not settle for a neat answer. A coat can be a coat and still hint at another shape, and a skirt can look familiar until you notice where the seam travels. If I were starting with one piece, I would pick the one that makes me pause, then wear it with something I already know how to live in. The contrast is the outfit. Although I suspect the pause turns into a purchase more often than not.