“A dress that tries too hard to be intellectual and/or intelligent will automatically become ridiculous.” – Martin Margiela
Brief Overview:
- French Luxury Fashion House
- Founder: Martin Margiela
- Founded: 1988
- Innovations:
- Anti-fashion: Rejected the glamour of fashion and it’s social structure, he produced garments in low budget fabrics and hosted shows in ‘ordinary’ locations.
- Faceless: Martin Margiela and designers of the brand remained anonymous, avoided interviews, photographs and didn’t take bows at shows.
- Deconstructive avant-garde designs made with unconventional materials.
- Avant Garde, Artisanal & Autonomous
Martin Margiela Quotes:
- “An experience that changes nothing is hardly worth having.” – Martin Margiela
- “White means the strength of fragility and the fragility of the passage of time.” – Martin Margiela
- “Like a lot of things, when you try too hard, then it’s definitely ‘out of it’ and you have missed what you were aiming at.” – Martin Margiela
The History of Maison Margiela (Formerly Maison Martin Margiela)
In 1984, Belgian fashion designer Martin Margiela started working in the world of fashion as Jean Paul Gaultier’s design assistant. In 1989 Margiela launched his own eponymous luxury French fashion label under the name “Maison Martin Margiela”, which was quietly changed to “Maison Margiela” in recent years. Simultaneously while working on his own brand, Margiela took over the creative direction of Hermes’ womenswear collection in 1997 (until 2003).
Margiela debuted his first collection in (SS90) in 1989 in a move that shocked the fashion industry. He showcased his pieces in a derelict playground of a North African neighbourhood on the Parisian outskirts. Margiela evidently sought to fight fashion and societal norms by featuring designs with a raw, unfinished touch and honed in on a grunge vibe that made him stand out. His first show featured ripped sleeves, frayed hems, and clumpy shoes, which was very against the trends of extravagance and bold colours of the time. Margiela is one of the founding fathers of anti-fashion; from the unusual runway locations to avant-garde, garment deconstruction, fabric up-cycling and use of unconventional materials, he founded a niche subculture reminiscent of many designers’ work today.
Throughout his career, Martin Margiela remained anonymous; he refused to sit for face-to-face interviews and have his photograph taken. He didn’t even take any final bows at his fashion shows. Any interviews/comments he made were over a fax machine, and he was branded as the ‘Banksy of fashion’ and ‘fashion’s invisible man.’ He even went as far as hiding models’ faces with fabric or long hair in shows to ensure attention stayed on the clothes and signs, not the person wearing them.
Margiela formally stepped down as creative director and left his eponymous label in 2009 without appointing a successor. The house was creatively led by a group of anonymous designers until John Galliano was appointed as the house’s creative director in 2014 with a team of unknown designers. On his exit, Margiela is cited as saying, “I felt that I could not cope anymore with the worldwide increasing pressure and the overgrowing demands of trade. I also regretted the overdose of information carried by social media, destroying the ‘thrill of wait’ and cancelling every effect of surprise, so fundamental for me.”
Until this day, Margiela remains the ‘creator without a face.’ Surprisingly Margiela came out with a documentary in 2020; in the documentary, he remains anonymous, with only his hands and an altered voice being the only trace he leaves throughout the production. He speaks on his anonymousness, stating, “I don’t like the idea of being a celebrity. Anonymity is very important to me. It balances me that I am like everybody else. I always wanted to have my name linked to the product I created, not to the face I have.”
Signature Styles & Iconic Designs
Margiela Tabi Boots, 1988
Margiela introduced his concept of the highly polarising Tabi boots inspired by the traditional Japanese tabi sock designed to be worn with sandals in his debut show. The shoes feature a split toe reminiscent of horse hooves. The boots evoke many reactions from many people varying from repulsed to fascination. The boot was introduced for women, but in 2017, after Margiela exited his label, a men’s version was also created. Since this launch and under Galliano’s creative direction, the Tabi boots have morphed into various shoe styles, from chunky heels to loafers. Maison Margiela teamed up with Reebok to create a limited edition tabs sneaker featuring Margiela’s signature hand-painted “Bianchetto” technique (the paint will chip over time with wear).
The Wig Coat, SS09
In his final Spring/Summer show, Margiela presented a coat made entirely of blonde wigs and hair extensions. Known for his upcycling practices, the coat was evidently inspired by Margiela’s previous concepts of jackets made from costume wigs showcased in the F/W 2005 collection. This piece showcased Martin Margiela’s anti-fashion belief that beautiful pieces could be created from perceived low-value materials and be made to look expensive with haute couture techniques.
The White Label
Margiela’s initial label was famously a completely blank white label. Margiela once cited, “White means the strength of fragility and the fragility of the passage of time.” For a while, the label was instantly recognised by the 4 white stitches .
The label was reinvented in 1997 and replaced by a still white label, this time with numbers (0-23) written in black with one number circled. The number circled represents the collection/product line to which each garment belongs. For example, 0 is the artisanal collection, and 11 is accessories.
Maison Margelia Biographies
Movies
- Martin Margiela: In His Own Words, 2020
Books
- Maison Martin Margiela – Martin Margiela
- Martin Margiela: The Women’s Collections 1989-2009 – Alexandre Samson
