He influenced the fashion world while maintaining an anti-fashion stance.
1988 | PARIS, FRANCE | Martin Margiela
Born in Belgium in 1957, Martin Margiela enrolled in the prestigious Royal Academy of Fine Arts Antwerp in 1977. He later collaborated with the "Antwerp Six," including Dries Van Noten, Ann Demeulemeester, and Dirk Bikkembergs, to hold shows together.
Like them, he was influenced by Rei Kawakubo of COMME des GARCONS, who became famous at the Paris Collection in the 1980s. After working as an assistant to Jean-Paul Gaultier, he established his own brand, MAISON MARTIN MARGIELA, in 1988, and debuted at the Paris Ready-to-Wear Collection in Spring/Summer 1989. He proposed tight silhouettes, going against the loose silhouettes that were mainstream at the time, and his collection was dubbed the "Destroy Collection," at which time he also presented split-toe tabi boots. He shocked the fashion world with his "poperism"—a style reminiscent of the poor—using techniques such as remaking, damaging, and painting, and with his consistent anti-fashion stance.
In the Spring/Summer 1998 Paris Fashion Week, she held a joint show with her beloved COMME des GARCONS, and from 1997 to 2003, she also served as the designer for HERMES' women's ready-to-wear line, demonstrating her energetic activities.
On the other hand, he is also known for his mysterious lifestyle, rarely showing his face in public and conducting interviews via fax. In 2008, the 20th anniversary of the company's founding, he retired as designer of MAISON MARTIN MARGIELA without any announcement. This is said to have been due to a difference in direction between the parent company's pursuit of commercial success and Margiela's own emphasis on creativity.
In the Autumn/Winter 2012 season, the brand collaborated with H&M, seemingly condensing its history into a single collection, and revived various masterpieces as an homage to past collections. The collarless coat released at that time became a hot topic after being worn by Kanye West.
In 2015, the brand changed its name to MAISON MARGIELA, and John Galliano, known for reviving his own brand and Christian Dior, became its creative director.