For Autumn/Winter 2026, SHUSHU/TONG presents The Invented Self, a collection inspired by the film Violette Nozière. The narrative lens centres on a young woman striving to “invent herself” amid the constraints of class, family, and moral order. She exists both as protagonist and projection—continually observed, judged, and shaped by the era she inhabits. In 1930s Paris, her background dictates a life of decorum and obedience, while her desires reach toward a life that is freer, more opulent, and potentially more perilous. Through fabricated identities and shifting roles, performance becomes a way of reaching toward another future.

This season continues the brand’s exploration of girlish tension, constructing a psychological terrain that oscillates between structure and transgression, reality and fiction. The design language merges the elegant silhouettes of the 1930s with a contemporary, deconstructed sensibility. Drop-waist dresses adorned with bow details evoke a vintage yet subtly rebellious attitude. The off-shoulder neckline emerges as a key silhouette of the season, accentuating the shoulders and collarbone. Knotted shoulders, undulating trims, and ribbon-formed three-dimensional florals transform the theatricality of “being seen” into an empowered act of self-styling. Lace and sailor collar elements introduce a delicate friction between sweetness and order. The runway also introduces male models into the presentation, bringing a new dimension of viewing through different bodies and exploring the fluid relationship between identity and performance within self-narrative.

Fabric becomes a central narrative vehicle. Green jacquards and gold velvet recall the grandeur of a bygone era, while fractured floral prints suggest identity rupture and inner conflict. A restrained palette of grey, navy, and nude technical fabrics establishes a disciplined foundation, contrasted with deliberately crinkled pink, yellow, and blue textiles. Tie-dyed corduroy and Italian fleece add tactile dimension. Faux fur is extensively employed—waist cinchers, capes, and scarves function both as embellishment and as reinterpretations of luxury codes.

Knitwear evolves the house’s signature vocabulary with renewed experimentation. Bias-cut knits and diagonal striping disrupt conventional structure, while semi-sheer mohair lends an air of ambiguity and lightness. Detachable fur accents at the shoulders heighten drama and versatility. Knit dresses, rendered in diamond argyle, floral embroidery, and mélange jacquards, achieve a nuanced equilibrium between softness and edge.

Accessories continue the collaboration with YVMIN, amplifying the period atmosphere through metallic textures and an Art Deco-inflected vintage language. Brimmed-hat-inspired headbands reference the film’s heroine, serving as a recurring visual motif throughout the collection. Footwear expands into sneakers and colour-blocked suede loafers for the first time, while deliberately upturned bow details on high heels extend the brand’s ongoing deconstruction and reconfiguration of girlish codes.

The Invented Self is not about escape, but about revision. In a contemporary landscape where labels and gazes intersect, identity is both constructed and consumed. Through fabric, silhouette, and detail, SHUSHU/TONG proposes a self-image that remains open to continual rewriting—negotiating within structures, shifting between fantasy and reality, and claiming authorship over who she chooses to become.

CREDITS

Images courtesy of:

Stylist: Liu Xiao at ODD STUDIO

Director: Wei Xiao at WI-MODE

Make up: Valentina Li at StudioVisuelle 

Hair: Zhou Xueming at HEIYA Hair

Set Designer: Jiaozi

Music: RUI HO at R8ven Studio

Photographer: Jiacheng

Backstage Coordination: TJ at WI-MODE

Casting: Babygiants 

PR: DIA

Graphic Designer: Chewproject 

Assistant Stylist: Zoe, Mae at ODD STUDIO, Peach

Assistant Director: Haohao, Yaoao, Sienna, Yuhui Wang at WI-MODE

Assistant Set Designer: Luyin Zhang, Gleamysn

Accessory Special Collaboration: YVMIN

Organiser: LABELHOOD