Boldly inspired by ‘deconstruction’, the two brands reveal their fourth collaborative collection that emphasizes the beauty of the non-conventional and eccentric.

Many have tried to sell sunglasses that play with familiar shapes, forms, and structures, with styles teetering on the edge of the avant-garde. Yet perhaps that is precisely the challenge Parisian fashion house Maison Margiela and South Korean eyewear brand GENTLE MONSTER are willing to take. Unafraid of taking risks and putting out distorted eyewear, the collection heavily leans on the aesthetic of incompleteness and imperfection, intentionally creating silhouettes unlike any other. On October 29, 2026, the joint collection was released across eight cities: Tokyo, Shanghai, Beijing, Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, Melbourne, Paris—and of course, Seoul. It consists of sixty-eight SKUs, specifically forty-three sunglasses and twenty-five optical frames, all expressing the concept of ‘deconstruction’.

With its irregularity, the sunglasses fall under the gray area of being between creation and dismantlement, manipulated and bent to give off the look of being caught in the middle of the two processes. Enveloping the upper half of the face, the oversized structure of the frames aim to create a dramatic, extended sculptural appearance, reflecting how the collection goes above and beyond in terms of shape. Leaving a mark to signify their collaboration with Maison Maigela, their signature four stitches are designed on the frames’ temples. The slimmer silhouettes feature a new branding detail, with stitches that appear to hover delicately along the frame's edges. These sunglasses are more fitted and wrapped in leather, a nod to Maison Margiela’s ‘Second Skin’ concept, in which a material wraps around a subject so closely that it becomes part of it.

Setting the tone for the campaign was a short film directed by Alex Preger, an American photographer and filmmaker. It features a young woman running late for a train set to leave at 12 in the afternoon. As she rushes her way to the station in an ever-shifting city, she encounters and stumbles upon distinct personas, all wearing eyewear from the collection. Emphasizing on oddities, it points out the bizarre moments we may experience in our daily lives.&nbsp;

Inside Haus Nowhere at Seoul, the launch was celebrated with immersive creative performances choreographed by creative director Damien Jalet and artist Ian McMahon. With the sculptural plaster curtain by McMahon as the core, the dramatic performance spotlighted an emotional contemporary dance by Jalet in which a number of dancers explored the relationship between form and function. Space, light, and bodies were used to interpret how the sculptural quality of the sunglasses met with its practical purpose. Accompanying the choreography is an original score by Koki Nakano, inspired by Claude Debussy's Clair de Lune.

Seen in actress Gabbi Garcia’s Instagram post is the recurring themes of demolition and impermanence at the launch, where plaster creations were crushed and the plaster curtains were seemingly disintegrated. Marking a creative collaboration with sculptor McMahon, the project explored the fragility of art and made objects. With that, guests also had the opportunity to bring home a piece of plaster with them from the performance.&nbsp;

Considering this is their fourth collaboration, Maison Margiela and GENTLE MONSTER have found a mutual understanding in the way their brands and design philosophies interact. While Maison Margiela contributed the experimental and unconventional style choices, GENTLE MONSTER delivered the frames and spaces to present them in. Recognizing this balance, the collection ensures that the deconstructed look is not exclusive to sunglasses but is also accessible in prescription eyewear, offering that je ne sais quoi whether at events or work meetings.

Maison Margiela and GENTLE MONSTER Release Fourth Collaboration

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