Li Gong has picked up running. He’s not alone; in fact, he is joining an entire generational cohort—that Millennial-to-Gen Z bridge of late 20- and early 30-somethings—that seems to have converted to fitness since the pandemic. At least according to the Internet, that is, with all the running clubs and running influencers taking over this very stationary writer’s feed.
A London Fashion Week mainstay since 2019, Gong brought his collection to Shanghai this season. He explained that he felt like coming home to China to commemorate his eighth anniversary. As you may have caught on by now, the number 8, a perfect closed loop, is a bit of a theme for this designer. Does that mean that he only jogs in infinity-shaped routes?
It’s what his models did at his show; some of them running around his 8-shaped runway and others simply appearing like they did. This he achieved by either adding horsehair to the bottom of running shorts—which took them from bottom-drawer staples to hero wardrobe pieces—or by lining suit jackets with swishy technical windbreakers and styling the tailored part open and draped over the shoulders. Elsewhere, Gong was equally clever with more standardized wardrobe classics: button-downs received that same hem treatment and other separates were heat pressed and then printed, creating a cool crackled look.
This is the kind of futuristic technicality that Gong has become known for in China, has it’s helped him build a robust business with an enviable portfolio of collaborations: Japanese Asics sneakers since 2020, Italian Canali tailoring in 2021, and even the all-American Gap, via a capsule collection for the Asia-Pacific region in 2023. What really defines 8on8, though, is a kind of eclectic retro-athleticism that is equal parts nostalgic and forward-looking.