On September 18th, Marques' Almeida presented its Spring/Summer 2018 collection. The brand, which won the LVMH Young Fashion Designer Award in 2015, is designed by the male-female duo Marta Marques and Paulo Almeida. Originally from Portugal, the pair studied design at Central Saint Martins. Their first collection, Fall/Winter 2011, was carried by select shops such as OPENING CEREMONY and Tokyo's DESPERADO, garnering attention immediately after its debut. The couple, who remain close in public and private, welcomed their first child, a daughter, six months ago, and this season's collection was themed around the theme of "female strength." The show took place in a normally off-limits area beneath an elevated railway in East London. The nearly 50-meter-long runway kicked off with music by Dolly Parton, an American singer renowned as a pioneer of country music. Western-inspired looks, perfectly matched with the music, were the key to this season's collection. Ponytail-print pants, outerwear, and boots, along with classic Western boots and bolo ties, created a Marques' Almeida-style Western drama. Their signature denim was featured in oversized workwear and cheongsam-style dresses with slits and holes along the sides. Workwear worn by farmers and manual laborers was deconstructed, revealing skin, silhouettes, and feather embellishments, expressing a unique feminine softness. Elements from other countries, such as oriental dragon prints and French jacquard weaving, were also incorporated. "We were inspired by strong women all over the world," the duo explained backstage after the show. "True feminine strength is not just physical strength, but also provocative sexiness and generous flexibility," they said. Not only was the collection powerful, but the way they occasionally faced each other with smiles as they answered questions during the interview made the strength of the bond between the two even more impressive.