Gentle Monster and Maison Margiela have unveiled their fourth collaborative collection.
The two brands’ partnership, which began in 2023, once again takes the familiar product of eyewear as a subject for experimentation.
At the heart of the new collection, set for release on October 29, is deconstruction.
By taking finished forms apart and distorting or reassembling their structures, the collection invites us to reconsider the silhouettes of glasses we have taken for granted.
A New Direction for the Fourth Collaboration
The two brands have gradually shifted the design language of their collaboration each year.
In 2023, they debuted their first collection with bold silhouettes and signature white stitches. In 2024, they explored more experimental forms, including leather materials and mask-like designs.
Their third collaboration in 2025 used metallic materials and cable temples to express the intersection of classicism and futurism.
Building on that trajectory, this collection focuses on form itself.
Applying Maison Margiela’s longstanding exploration of deconstruction to eyewear, it compresses and bends familiar frames or uses existing materials in different ways.
The Unfinished Form of MM301
MM301 most clearly embodies the philosophy behind this collaboration.
The silver-metal MM301 02 and gold-colored MM301 039 have frames that appear deliberately twisted.
Unlike conventional glasses with smoothly finished forms, their silhouettes look as though they were deformed during production or halted midway through disassembly.
Rather than merely decorating them for the sake of an unusual design, this reflects Maison Margiela’s approach to questioning whether a finished object’s form must remain fixed.
Notably, MM301 is classified not as ordinary glasses or sunglasses but as a styling object.
Its lenses cannot be replaced or fitted, and it cannot be used for vision correction, making it the clearest expression of the collection’s experimental character.
Exaggerated Proportions, Familiar Silhouettes
If MM301 twists the structure of conventional eyewear, other models carry the collection’s direction forward by changing the proportions of familiar frames.
For the collaboration’s oversized eyewear, Gentle Monster proposes the idea that exaggerated volume can conceal the face while expanding the wearer’s field of vision.
MM324 and MM323 are representative models.
MM324 sunglasses combine a spear-shaped silhouette with a thick acetate frame; their wide front and substantial temples make a strong impression.
Based on an aviator shape, MM323 alters the proportions of a familiar design with large lenses and a three-dimensional frame.
By adjusting size and thickness while retaining established silhouettes, the two models create distinct looks.
A Second Skin Around the Frame
The collection’s approach to materials comes into sharper focus in MM305 and MM317.
Based on cat-eye and oval shapes respectively, both models include a leather-clad Leather LBK2 version.
Introducing the collection, Maison Margiela connected the leather-wrapped frames to the concept of a “Second Skin.”
Rather than changing the structure of existing eyewear, this approach layers a new material over a finished form, redefining the surface of a familiar object.
Comparing the standard acetate and leather versions of the same design shows how much a change in material can alter the overall impression.
Metal That Reveals Structure, Optical Styles for Everyday Wear
The collection goes beyond experimental objects and oversized sunglasses.
MM310 and MM311 feature oval and spear-shaped silhouettes, respectively, built on mixed-material metal frames, while MM318 and MM319 offer metal sunglasses with a lighter look.
The relatively spare metal frames contrast with the thick acetate sunglasses, broadening the collection’s range.
MM307 through MM309 center on spear-shaped and round acetate glasses, offering a way to experience the collaboration’s designs in more everyday eyewear.
It is also notable that the same collection brings together sculptural objects and conventional glasses.
25 Models, 65 Options
The collection comprises 25 models, from MM301 to MM325, and 65 options in all when variations in color and material are included.
It includes 40 sunglasses, 23 eyeglasses and two styling objects. Maison Margiela’s four white stitches remain a signature element throughout the collection.
Domestic prices for standard eyeglasses and sunglasses range from 420,000 to 520,000 won. The collaborative products will be available to members through the official online store from October 29.
The MM301 object is classified separately as an offline-store exclusive.
What makes the fourth collaboration most interesting is how bold approaches that disrupt the shape of eyewear coexist with familiar designs made with actual wear in mind, all within one collection.
Maison Margiela × Gentle Monster 2026
Release: October 29, 2026
Collection: 25 models · 65 options
Price: 420,000–520,000 won (excluding the MM301 object)
Official collection: https://www.gentlemonster.com/kr/ko/category/collections/maison-margiela-2026
