Career
Ma Ke graduated from the Suzhou Institute of Silk Textile Technology in 1992, and studied womenswear at Central Saint Martins. In 1996, she established her first clothing label, EXCEPTION de Mixmind. EXCEPTION is currently sold in the label's own shops in China, with major retail presence in Shanghai, Beijing and Guangzhou. Their collections comprise women's clothing made from locally sourced cotton, silk, linen and wool; plus other accessories and items.
In 2001, Ma Ke designed costumes for the concert Singing in Heaven, by the singer Dadawa. In 2005, she presented her clothing at the Shenzhen Biennale of Urbanism and Architecture, and in 2009 her work was on display at the National Art Museum of China.
Ma Ke is among the youngest of the first generation of Chinese fashion designers who have received international acclaim, and she is the first Chinese to show at Paris Haute Couture. Ma Ke is best known abroad for her two WUYONG collections: WUYONG/the Earth, which debuted at Paris Fashion Week Spring Summer 2007; and WUYONG/Qing Pin, which was held on July 3, 2008 as her first show for Paris Haute Couture.
Ma Ke's designs are celebrated for their use of environmentally friendly fabrics and recycled materials, and for their manufacture using traditional dyeing, weaving and embroidery techniques, most notably those of the Dong people of Southern China. Her fashion house EXCEPTION de Mixmind hosts shows in China each season for their new collections. Ma Ke's first two shows for WUYONG, held more than a year apart, were distinctive for their absence of a runway and for incorporating certain elements of performance art. Her unorthodox shows and anti-consumerist statements have earned Ma Ke a reputation for being anti-fashion, but she is equally lauded for her conscientious efforts to preserve traditions and protect the environment.
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