It has been over a decade since Martin Margiela has walked the fashion streets. The founder of Maison Martin Margiela, now Maison Margiela, a luxury French fashion house, quit from his own company in 2009 to anonymously pursue art, both painting and sculpting, or so people think. Throughout his twenty year career, Martin had a presence like no other. His theatrical shows and avant-garde taste brought a new light to the fashion industry.
So who exactly is this Martin Margiela? Here’s a little backstory.
Martin Margiela was born in 1957, in Genk, Belgium. He studied fashion at the renowned Royal Academy of Fine Arts Antwerp during the years 1977 to 1980, an institution with notable alumni including Dries Van Noten, Ann Demeuelemeester, among many others. His taste in fashion was always out of the ordinary, unconventional, and strayed from tradition. In 1985, Margiela landed a job as design assistant to Jean Paul Gaultier in Paris, up until 1987. From his tremendous experience gained at school and work, he created his own fashion house, Maison Martin Margiela in 1988 alongside his business partner Jenny Meirens.
As his career began to flourish, Margiela made it clear that he was never an admirer of the media. He refused to be photographed, greet guests backstage, or even take part in interviews. Interestingly, some of the interviews he took part in were conducted via fax and later email. During such interviews, he responded to answers using “we” rather than “I” pronouns. Some even rumoured that Margiela sat in the audience of his own shows in a disguise. He rejected the idea of fame. He made it clear from the beginning that he wanted the clothing to speak for itself, after all, that is the purpose of a fashion show. At the 2018 Belgian Fashion Awards, in which he was to be honoured for his career, he issued the following statement: “I felt that I could not cope any more 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.” Margiela felt as though social media took away the excitement and adrenaline that new collections would bring in the fashion realm. He took his unconventional yet extraordinary ideas even further, by hosting fashion shows in mysterious and remote locations. He followed the less-traditional route, with some venues being a warehouse, the metro, kids playground, among many others.
Margiela’s most notable shows include:
Maison Martin Margiela Spring/Summer 1993
A combination between minimalism and romantic Victorian accents, this show was filled with petticoat-style skirts and pieces of greenery tied to models like a necklace. Margiela created two versions of the collection, one in black and one in white, both which took place on opposite ends of the Montmartre Cemetery in Paris. Guests were given colour coded invitations that were in either black or white, and if you showed up to the wrong show, you were denied access.
Maison Martin Margiela Fall 1995
The face masks and pop of colour, were among the highlights of the night. The show was held in a big top tent in the Bois de Boulogne in Paris, with rose-tinted lighting and sawdust sprinkled on the floor.
Maison Margiela Fall 2000
For this show, Margiela revitalized the idea of oversized clothing. Each piece was designed to be enlarged by 150-200 percent, and carefully crafted to shape the silhouettes of models. Exaggerated shoulders and an elegant sculptural look were fundamental to the show. It was set in an abandoned train surrounded with eerie music, being named one of Margiela’s most iconic atmospheres.
Margiela always had a drive for creating clothing using a more sustainable approach. This included methods such as re-using and altering garments and materials from previous shows, or creating something new from vintage pieces. His clothing was also often classified as ‘deconstructed’ through the open stitched seams that were made visible, tears and rips, all to represent and beautify imperfections. Margiela enjoyed taking things apart and creating something unique and beautiful out of them. He seeked inspiration from furniture, construction sights, and anything from his surrounding environment.
Margiela was definitely an inspiration to many and his retirement from the fashion industry was nothing short of devastating. However, with his new documentary, “Martin Margiela: In His Own Words,” we are given a glimpse into Margiela’s original sketches, the history behind his unique fashion shows, and the impact he left on the fashion industry, all while remaining hidden from the camera. While this documentary allowed us to see more of the creative genius himself, it left us with one question, is Martin Margiela coming back to the fashion industry. The director of the film, Reiner Holzemer asked Margiela a simple question, “Have you said everything you wanted to say in fashion?”, to which Margiela responded “No.” While this does not mean he may come back with new fashion designs, who knows, all we can do is sit back, wait, and admire his previous creations.
References:
Veronica Slowikowski
Comentarios