Ma Ke
Ma Ke is a Chinese fashion designer known for the labels EXCEPTION de Mixmind and WUYONG, combining clothing design with traditional craft, environmental materials and performance-based presentation.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
Ma Ke is a Chinese fashion designer born in 1971 in Changchun. She is associated with two distinct clothing labels: EXCEPTION de Mixmind, a ready-to-wear line established in 1996 and sold through the label's own retail network in China, and WUYONG, an experimental haute couture and art-fashion label founded in 2006. Her work is rooted in locally sourced natural materials, traditional textile processes and a deliberate resistance to the speed and disposability commonly associated with contemporary fashion. Ma Ke graduated from the Suzhou Institute of Silk Textile Technology in 1992 and later studied womenswear at Central Saint Martins in London. After establishing EXCEPTION de Mixmind, she developed a commercial design practice centered on women's clothing and related accessories. The label's collections have used cotton, silk, linen and wool sourced in China, while its retail presence has been concentrated in major Chinese cities including Shanghai, Beijing and Guangzhou. Alongside her design work, Ma Ke founded Mixmind Art & Design Co., Ltd., the company associated with her fashion activities. Her second label, WUYONG, takes a more artisanal and conceptual approach. The name means “useless,” a reference to the label's critique of purely utilitarian or consumption-driven ideas of fashion. Its Zhuhai workshop carries out production in-house, including spinning, weaving, dyeing and sewing. The workshop employs craftspeople familiar with traditional garment-making methods and uses equipment such as an old Chinese loom. WUYONG garments have incorporated recycled and found materials, including painted sheets and discarded tarpaulin, while also drawing on traditional dyeing, embroidery and weaving practices associated with communities in southern China. Ma Ke became internationally prominent through WUYONG/the Earth, presented in Paris in February 2007. Instead of using a conventional catwalk, the presentation placed models on illuminated plinths so visitors could move around them and inspect the garments at close range. The format emphasized clothing as material, object and cultural artifact rather than simply as seasonal merchandise. The collection was subsequently exhibited at Joyce Palais-Royal in Paris and became a central subject of Jia Zhangke's documentary Useless, which examined Ma Ke's work and aspects of China's garment industry. The film won the Orizzonti Doc Prize at the 2007 Venice Film Festival. In 2008, Ma Ke was invited to present WUYONG/the Earth in the Victoria and Albert Museum's Fashion in Motion program in London. That year WUYONG was also appointed a guest member of the Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture. Ma Ke presented WUYONG/Qing Pin in Paris in July 2008, becoming the first Chinese designer to show at Paris Haute Couture according to the referenced biographical material. The event used an outdoor public setting, performers drawn from modern dance, martial arts and tai chi, live traditional textile work, a Mongolian vocalist and choreography by Shen Wei. The presentation received substantial international attention, including coverage on the front page of Le Monde. Ma Ke's practice occupies a space between commercial fashion, craft preservation, environmental design and contemporary art. Her unconventional presentations and anti-consumerist statements have led some commentators to describe her as “anti-fashion,” while her supporters have emphasized the technical rigor and cultural value of her work. Her designs have also been worn on several occasions by Peng Liyuan, China's First Lady. Ma Ke continues to work from her studio in Zhuhai, while EXCEPTION remains associated with retail activity in China and WUYONG with small-scale, craft-intensive production and exhibition-oriented projects.
History
Ma Ke was born in 1971 in Changchun, China. She graduated from the Suzhou Institute of Silk Textile Technology in 1992 and subsequently studied womenswear at Central Saint Martins. Her formal training combined textile and garment knowledge with exposure to international fashion education, providing the foundation for a practice that would later connect Chinese craft traditions with experimental fashion presentation. In 1996, Ma Ke established EXCEPTION de Mixmind, her first clothing label. The line developed as a ready-to-wear business focused on women's clothing and accessories and was distributed through the label's own shops in China. Shanghai, Beijing and Guangzhou became important retail locations. EXCEPTION's collections used materials including Chinese cotton, silk, linen and wool, giving the label a relationship to local sourcing and production while maintaining a commercial fashion structure. Ma Ke also undertook projects outside the regular clothing calendar. In 2001, she designed costumes for Singing in Heaven, a concert by the singer Dadawa. Her work was shown at the Shenzhen Biennale of Urbanism and Architecture in 2005 and later at the National Art Museum of China in 2009. These projects helped establish her as a designer whose work could operate in cultural and exhibition settings as well as in retail fashion. In 2006, Ma Ke founded WUYONG, a label whose name translates as “useless.” The label represented a more radical investigation of clothing, labor, material and consumption than the ready-to-wear business. WUYONG garments were developed in a Zhuhai workshop where spinning, weaving, dyeing and sewing could be undertaken under one roof. The workshop used traditional equipment, including a nineteenth-century Chinese loom, and employed workers with knowledge of traditional clothing techniques. Some garments used recycled or found materials, such as a paint-marked sheet or old tarpaulin, transforming discarded objects into clothing. WUYONG achieved international visibility in February 2007, when Ma Ke presented WUYONG/the Earth during Paris Fashion Week. The presentation avoided a conventional catwalk. Models stood on tall illuminated platforms, while the audience moved through the space to examine the pieces. The collection was subsequently displayed at Joyce Palais-Royal in Paris. Its emphasis on materiality, craft and direct observation challenged the idea that a fashion presentation needed to function primarily as a fast-moving commercial spectacle. The Paris project was documented in Jia Zhangke's film Useless, which included interviews with Ma Ke and footage of the WUYONG presentation. The documentary connected her design work to broader questions about industrial garment production and the social meaning of clothing. It won the Orizzonti Doc Prize at the 2007 Venice Film Festival, bringing further international attention to Ma Ke and WUYONG. In 2008, WUYONG/the Earth was invited to the Victoria and Albert Museum's Fashion in Motion program in London. Three performances were held in the museum's Raphael Gallery on May 16, and a piece from the collection was included in China Design Now. The same year, WUYONG became a guest member of the Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture in France. Ma Ke presented WUYONG/Qing Pin in the Jardin du Palais-Royal in Paris on July 3. The event expanded the performative character of her previous work: models were replaced or supplemented by modern dancers, martial artists and tai chi practitioners; Shen Wei choreographed the movement; a Mongolian singer performed without instrumental accompaniment; and two seamstresses from the Zhuhai studio demonstrated spinning and weaving during the presentation. The Paris haute couture presentation received prominent critical attention and was reported on the front page of Le Monde. It is described in the referenced biography as the first Paris Haute Couture show by a Chinese designer. Ma Ke's approach was notable not only for its Chinese textile references but also for its rejection of the closed, invitation-oriented format normally associated with couture presentations. By taking the event outdoors and making it publicly accessible, she positioned couture as a cultural performance as much as a market category. Ma Ke's practice has continued to combine the commercial reach of EXCEPTION with the slower, more experimental and craft-centered work of WUYONG. Her designs are associated with environmentally friendly fabrics, recycled materials, traditional dyeing, weaving and embroidery, including techniques connected with the Dong people of southern China. The work has attracted both criticism and praise: its anti-consumerist stance and unconventional shows have led to the label “anti-fashion,” while its supporters view it as a serious effort to preserve craft knowledge and reduce the environmental impact of clothing. Ma Ke founded Mixmind Art & Design Co., Ltd. and works from a studio in Zhuhai. Her designs have also been worn on several occasions by Peng Liyuan.
- 2009
Work displayed at the National Art Museum of China
[1]Ma Ke's work is exhibited at the National Art Museum of China.
- 2008
WUYONG appears at Fashion in Motion
[1]The Victoria and Albert Museum presents WUYONG/the Earth in three London performances.
- 2008
WUYONG becomes a guest member of the Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture
[1]The French haute couture organization appoints WUYONG as a guest member.
- 2008
WUYONG/Qing Pin is presented in Paris
[1]Ma Ke stages an outdoor haute couture presentation incorporating dance, martial arts, live textile work and traditional music.
- 2007
WUYONG/the Earth debuts in Paris
[1]Ma Ke presents WUYONG/the Earth during Paris Fashion Week through a nontraditional installation-style show.
- 2007
Useless wins at the Venice Film Festival
[1]Jia Zhangke's documentary about the Chinese garment industry and Ma Ke's WUYONG work wins the Orizzonti Doc Prize.
- 2006
WUYONG is founded
[1]Ma Ke establishes WUYONG, an experimental label focused on traditional craft, ecological materials and anti-consumerist design.
- 2005
Work shown at the Shenzhen Biennale
[1]Her clothing work is presented at the Shenzhen Biennale of Urbanism and Architecture.
- 2001
Designs costumes for Singing in Heaven
[1]Ma Ke designs stage costumes for a concert by singer Dadawa.
- 1996
EXCEPTION de Mixmind is established
[1]Ma Ke launches her first clothing label, a Chinese ready-to-wear line that later operates its own shops in major Chinese cities.
Products and positioning
An environmentally conscious Chinese fashion practice positioned between ready-to-wear, artisanal clothing, haute couture and contemporary art. Ma Ke emphasizes natural and recycled materials, local production, traditional textile knowledge and presentation formats that question conventional fashion-show and consumption models.
Ready-to-wear · 1996
EXCEPTION de Mixmind
Ma Ke's first and more commercially oriented label, established in 1996. EXCEPTION produces women's clothing and accessories and has been sold through the label's own shops in China, with a significant retail presence in Shanghai, Beijing and Guangzhou. Its collections use materials such as locally sourced cotton, silk, linen and wool, linking everyday clothing to Chinese material and production resources.
Experimental fashion and haute couture · 2006
WUYONG
Founded in 2006, WUYONG is Ma Ke's craft-intensive and conceptual label. Production takes place in a Zhuhai workshop with spinning, weaving, dyeing and sewing carried out in-house. The label uses traditional tools and techniques, natural fibers, recycled materials and found objects, treating garments as vehicles for cultural preservation and criticism of excessive consumption.
Experimental fashion collection · 2007
WUYONG/the Earth
The collection that brought WUYONG to international attention through its February 2007 Paris Fashion Week presentation. Rather than using a conventional runway, Ma Ke displayed models on illuminated platforms, allowing visitors to circulate around the garments and focus on their construction, surfaces and materials.
Haute couture collection · 2008
WUYONG/Qing Pin
Ma Ke's first Paris Haute Couture presentation, shown in July 2008. The outdoor event combined clothing with choreography, martial arts, tai chi, live spinning and weaving, and Mongolian vocal performance. It presented couture as a public cultural performance rather than only as a private runway event.
Marketing campaigns
- 2008Fashion in Motion at the Victoria and Albert Museum
United Kingdom
The Victoria and Albert Museum presented WUYONG/the Earth in three live performances in its Raphael Gallery. A related garment was also included in the museum's China Design Now exhibition.
Outcome. The event extended WUYONG's museum and performance-art profile in the United Kingdom.
- 2008WUYONG/Qing Pin Paris Haute Couture presentation
France
Ma Ke staged WUYONG/Qing Pin in the Jardin du Palais-Royal, using dancers, martial artists, tai chi practitioners, a Mongolian singer, live traditional textile production and choreography by Shen Wei.
Outcome. The presentation drew major international press attention and was described as a landmark Paris Haute Couture appearance for a Chinese designer.
- 2007WUYONG/the Earth Paris presentation
France
Ma Ke introduced WUYONG/the Earth during Paris Fashion Week with a static installation in which models stood on illuminated plinths. The audience could move among them and examine the garments directly, reinforcing the collection's focus on materials, craft and resistance to conventional fashion spectacle.
Outcome. The presentation received strong critical attention, was later exhibited at Joyce Palais-Royal and helped establish Ma Ke as an internationally visible Chinese designer.
Brand decisions
2008
Present WUYONG/Qing Pin as a public performanceProduct launchBackground
Following WUYONG's Paris Fashion Week visibility and guest membership of the French haute couture organization, Ma Ke developed a couture presentation that connected clothing with movement, music and craft demonstration.
Action taken
She staged the show outdoors and used performers, live textile work and traditional vocal music instead of a conventional invitation-only runway.
Aftermath
The presentation received prominent French media coverage and reinforced Ma Ke's reputation for merging fashion with contemporary art and cultural performance.
2007
Present WUYONG/the Earth outside the standard runway formatProduct launchBackground
Ma Ke sought to make viewers focus on the physical and cultural qualities of clothing rather than treating the collection as a fast-moving seasonal spectacle.
Action taken
She displayed models motionless on illuminated plinths and invited the audience to walk among them.
Aftermath
The format earned critical acclaim and became a defining example of WUYONG's performance-oriented approach.
2006
Create a separate craft-led labelStrategyBackground
Ma Ke's existing EXCEPTION business provided a ready-to-wear platform, while she also pursued a slower and more experimental approach centered on traditional production, recycled materials and anti-consumerist ideas.
Action taken
She founded WUYONG and developed its collections through a Zhuhai workshop that handled spinning, weaving, dyeing and sewing in-house.
Aftermath
WUYONG became the vehicle for Ma Ke's international exhibitions, film appearances and Paris presentations.
Recent events
- 2008
Ma Ke joins the Victoria and Albert Museum's Fashion in Motion program[1]
Campaign
WUYONG/the Earth was presented in three live performances at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, alongside inclusion of a work in the museum's China Design Now exhibition.
- 2008
WUYONG receives guest membership of the Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture[1]
Other
WUYONG was appointed a guest member of the French haute couture organization before Ma Ke's WUYONG/Qing Pin presentation in Paris.
- 2008
Ma Ke presents WUYONG/Qing Pin in Paris[1]
Product launch · Campaign
Ma Ke's haute couture presentation used an outdoor public venue, performers from dance and martial arts, live textile-making demonstrations and choreography by Shen Wei.
- 2007
Ma Ke presents WUYONG/the Earth at Paris Fashion Week[1]
Product launch · Campaign
Ma Ke presented her first WUYONG collection in Paris using illuminated plinths and a static, gallery-like format rather than a conventional runway.
- 2007
Jia Zhangke documentary Useless features Ma Ke and WUYONG[1]
Other
The documentary Useless examined Ma Ke's work and the Chinese garment industry, including her Paris presentation. It later won the Orizzonti Doc Prize at the Venice Film Festival.
Sources1 sources
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