To mark the Year of the Horse, French brand A.P.C. announces a collaboration with photographer Ma Hailun. Shot in Ili, the project captures the A.P.C. 2026 Spring/Summer accessories. Working as both a visitor and an observer, she sought the space between memory and the present, discovering new layers within familiar landscapes and people.

The shoot took place in winter, a season of profound stillness where light and silence became the primary guides. “The sunlight made the snow glimmer, the wind fell silent, and across kilometers of white, it was just us, accompanied by the faint murmur of the river freezing,” she recalled. “Nothing seemed to stir, yet beneath it all, a slow, persistent energy quietly moved.”

Within this hushed environment, intimate moments arose — the visible breath of horses, children running across snow-blanketed fields. Returning home brought a new sense of rhythm. “I learned to wait, and in the empty spaces, I could feel that gentle, grounded presence.”

4 QUESTIONS TO MA HAILUN ABOUT HER A.P.C. CARTE BLANCHE

1 — What draws your eye when returning home to observe?
I am captivated by the state between memory and the present. Landscapes and people I thought I knew completely reveal new expressions each time I look back. It’s that shifting emotion that I try to hold onto.

2 — What story did you want to tell through this series?
I wanted to tell a story about winter in Yili - a season that acts as a vast pause. The grasslands fade into silent white, and sound is absorbed by the snow. On the surface, everything seems still, yet within that quiet, life flows slowly and deeply. I aimed to capture that restrained but powerful energy: the discipline and patience of winter, and a force quietly gathering for what comes next.

3 — With 2026 as the Year of the Horse, what are your wishes for the coming year?
I often joke that I am a little horse myself. In the year ahead, I wish to run more steadily, faster, and with a greater sense of freedom.

4 — What’s a memorable moment from the shoot that stuck with you?
At one point, the sunlight made the snow sparkle like diamonds, and the wind dropped entirely. The world grew so quiet we could hear the river slowly freezing. For kilometers, it was just us. Then a small fox darted lightly across the snow ahead, like a quiet sign from nature. This winter shoot taught me how to wait, how to appreciate emptiness, and how to recognize a quiet, grounded strength within the stillness.