Fashion Margiela style

A plain white square with four rough stitches is all that is attached to their clothes. Unremarkable except that it is the chosen mark of Maison Martin Margiela. In this day and age when designers are almost as famous as their clothes, Margiela is the odd man out. One of the original Antwerp 6 who took the fashion world by storm, he has since then become one of the most reclusive designers of our era. He never gives interviews, is even more rarely photographed and emphasizes the collectivity of their efforts, hence the use of the plural “we” in all correspondence and press releases . How do we even know he truly exists? Well, he used to work for Hermes and started in Jean Paul Gaultier. The scarcity of known facts about him, has served to focus attention on his designs. And his designs are not for the faint- hearted, neither are they for those with a more traditional bent in their clothing tastes.

They are almost surreal designs, with a subversive edge. They emphasize construction, or perhaps, more accurately deconstruction. But they almost always have a humorous edge. How can you take seriously a fur coat constructed out of two vintage coats? Or a huge silver pair of Tabi boots that look like they can take you to the moon and back.
To commemorate his more than 20 years in the business, the Mode Museum of Antwerp is running an exhibition of Maison Margin Margiela. The exhibition focuses on the themes and concepts that have dominated his work and features the pieces that best exemplify them. They are worth seeing if only to have an idea of how his or theirs (they do emphasize collectivity after all) mind. And short of actually acquiring a piece or two for yourself, the exhibition is a good way of getting an up close and personal view of the clothes. An impressive part of the exhibition (and one which unfortunately you can’t take photos) is that which features the Artisanal part of the collection. Ostensibly they are jackets or tops but they take on a more bizarre characterization with the use of feathers, leather straps complete with buckles, and chains. Despite the outrageous nature of a number of his pieces, Margiela’s clothes always reflect a mastery of actual clothes making. After all, you can only deconstruct once you know how to construct. And here, Maison Martin Margiela is a master.

Some photos taken from the exhibition..

Trompe l'oeil designs....


Dressing up to the nines Margiela style...

Emphasis on shoulders....