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The Raw Innovation of Martin Margiela
As Sotheby's Martin Margiela - Hors Normes online sale opens, fashion journalist Alice Casely-Hayford looks at the iconic designer's unique contribution to contemporary fashion.
A t the pivotal moment when popular culture was starting to make megastars out of fashion designers, Martin Margiela emerged as the antithesis of fashion fame: a beguiling enigma quietly dedicated to his craft. While he remained silent – avoiding interviews and individual recognition – he allowed his innovative creations to speak for themselves. After graduating from Antwerp’s Royal Academy of Fine Arts in 1979, Margiela first ventured into shoe design, then worked for Jean Paul Gaultier, before launching his eponymous brand in 1988.
Martin Margiela - Hors Normes Lookbook
Within a matter of seasons, Margiela created a counterculture to the luxury fashion being presented by the big Parisian houses of the time. He designed deconstructed, recycled garments in oversized proportions with exposed linings and raw seams that initially some found challenging, but soon saw him revered as the pioneering iconoclast that he is. In this sale, occurring just over a decade after the designer stepped down from the helm of his brand, almost 220 of Margiela’s most iconic creations, from his breakthrough in 1989 right through to 2006, will be auctioned.
The Artist is Absent
Directed by Alison Chernik, produced by YOOX Group
Margiela’s debut 1988 show took place in an old Parisian theatre and the location set the scene for the unconventional venue choices to come, that formed the perfect backdrop to his avant-garde collections. His next show, in March 1989 for Fall/Winter 89/90 was held in a nightclub, where the striking black wool tuxedo jacket with “cigarette” shoulders in Lot 2 was first unveiled. The attention to detail in the shape, cut and realisation of such inventive tailoring has inspired countless designers since, from Phoebe Philo to Demna Gvasalia.
It was Margiela’s seminal show for Spring/Summer 1990, set in a dilapidated children’s playground in the 20th arrondissement in Paris, that truly captured the attention of the industry and instigated the brand’s cult status. Local children climbed over the walls to watch the show, and with no seating plan, these children sat in the front row alongside editors and buyers alike, eventually storming the catwalk for the finale. A young Raf Simons also gate-crashed and was moved to tears by the collection. He later said: “That show is the reason I became a fashion designer.”
Undoubtedly, one of Margiela’s most enduring designs is the split-toed tabi boot – a shoe that looks as radical and modern today as it did in the designer’s earliest shows. The tabi has returned in many iterations as the brand has evolved, officially released in a men’s style in 2018. Inspired by the Japanese worker’s sock, originating from the 15th century, Margiela’s iconic interpretation creates the impression that the bare foot rests on a chunky heel. A pair splattered with white paint from the Fall/Winter 1991-1992 collection is offered in this sale. “The Tabi boot is the most important footprint of my career,” Margiela himself said in 2015. Born in 1988 and still going strong in 2019, the tabi shoe is the perfect symbol of Margiela’s impact and influence on fashion and the unique power of his design.
