Martin Margiela
CASE STUDY
Created by Redress
Martin Margiela
“Margiela proved that you could make things out of nothing, and that’s a very comforting idea for the world.”
- Olivier Saillard, Fashion Historian
Martin Margiela is a Belgian fashion designer who graduated from the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp in 1979.
He worked for Jean Paul Gaultier and Hermès before he founded his fashion house, Maison Martin Margiela, in 1988 (now known as Maison Margiela). He left the label in 2009 and John Galliano is the current Creative Director.
In this case study, reconstruction is used to provoke and disrupt how people see high fashion.
Martin Margiela’s design approach is often considered controversial. Belgian fashion entrepreneur Geert Bruloot said, “Fashion then [in the ’80s] was bold colours, wide shoulders; everything was extravagant. Martin came along with ripped sleeves, frayed hems, clumpy shoes — we were still talking about stilettos!” [1]
His love of extravagant proportions, visible garment construction detailing and raw finishes showed through consistently in his fashion career.
Equally, his approach to the presentation of his work, such as his shows, often challenged the norms that editors and buyers of the time were used to. He often presented his collections with models’ faces covered in order that his clothes spoke for themselves. Despite being flamboyant in his work, he himself is low-key, and is sometimes described as ‘fashion’s invisible designer’. He has never appeared in his shows, is rarely photographed, nor does he give interviews.
His trademark of deconstructing vintage clothing and accessories for use in his designs first placed reconstruction in the professional and commercial fashion scene.
Additional Resources
Maison Martin Margiela (2009), Maison Martin Margiela
YOOX Group (2015), The Artist Is Absent: A Short Film On Martin Margiela