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MAISON MARGIELA

Innovative, eclectic, intriguing, shocking and stunning are just a few of the adjectives that come to mind when admiring the collections of the Paris-based fashion house, Maison Margiela. The exclusive label features an impressive and wide-ranging collection that includes luxury womenswear, menswear, unisex items, fragrances, jewellry, footwear, outerwear, bags and accessories.

Maison Margiela collections are bold, daring and some of the most fashion-forward pieces that are available. Truly unique and eye-catching, just about any item from the exclusive fashion label has a fantastic chance of elevating your entire personal wardrobe – whether shabby-chic burlap-inspired sneakers, a broad silver hole ring, a long black silk dress, the signature Tabi shoes or any other garment or accessory.


Maison Margiela – Innovative Aesthetics


One of contemporary fashion’s presiding looks is deconstructed apparel, which is the signature style of the ingenious designer. Deconstructed fashion involves the reappropriation of other materials and putting them together in a new way to create an entirely novel creation. For example, the designer once cut up a vintage wedding dress and used the pieces to make a series of lacy jackets. This form of elevated recycled – or inspired upcycling – shows the innovative ability of the designer to see beyond what most see in a single object or garment and to find ways to transform it to something fresh and original. The brand seeks to challenge conventional ideas of beauty and to subvert norms, emphasizing individuality and personal expression.

The fashion house’s official webpage describes the label’s driving fashion vision, “Founded in memories and associations shared by us all, the creations of Maison Margiela reflect the emotional values we collectively celebrate as the year comes to an end. Imbued with traces of time, they are gestures of connectivity and appreciation.” This description highlights the mutual tenets and experiences of the associated fashion community and the inherent joy in the things that keep our hearts open to connect with one another. In this way, the main inspiration of the brand is to appreciate fashion as a means of self expression and a way for a community to come together based on shared values.


The origins of the Parisian haute-couture fashion house


Margiela was born in Genk, Belgium on April 9th, 1957. He studied at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp in the late 1970s. Upon graduating, he worked independently for several years before finding a job as a fashion assistant in France. He moved to Paris where he worked with Jean-Paul Gaultier for a couple of years, where he gained valuable insight at one of the biggest names in luxury fashion. Today, Maison Margiela stands for the eponymous luxury brand and the haute-couture fashion house in Paris. Together with his partner Jenny Meirens, Maison Margiela established his eponymous brand in 1989.

In 2009, Margiela felt overwhelmed by the pressure of his job and left the fashion house. He was succeeded by the design team until John Galliano assumed the position as creative director in 2014. The brand continued to produce exquisite designs that earned international recognition and a significant following. John Galliano, who had formerly held positions at the exclusive Dior and Givenchy, very successfully continued the brand’s vision and ground breaking collections. In its own words, the label eloquently describes the new creative director’s role, “the British couturier John Galliano exercises his visual language to expand on the grammar of Maison Margiela, creating a new technical vocabulary that cements the house’s position as a singular and autonomous entity in the realm of luxury.”


The elusive man behind the brand


Many consider Margiela as sort of a myth or legendary figure in the world of haute-couture. The designer has been infamous for staying anonymous and keeping far away from the limelight. For example, he refused to meet the press for interviews or photographs, and because of this the public still does not know what he looks like. The designer consciously chose to remain out of the public eye in order to keep all the focus on the fashion and not the individual designing it. He eschewed the rampant commercialization of the fashion world and much preferred to “stay behind the curtains” to separate principles before personalities.

Margiela would use the same ideas as a motif for his runway shows, by covering the models’ faces with hair, fabric, or other accessories. In addition to these attempts to keep an air of anonymity, the brand’s signature label was also extremely understated and discreet. The labels are typically sewn inside a garment with four tiny, white stitches. Despite the designer’s best intentions to be fashion-focused, his public absence, concealment of the models' discreet labeling and other efforts backfired – instead of fulfilling his intention to direct the public’s attention to the clothes, his actions became a much talked about phenomenon that was interpreted as a publicity stunt.


The iconic Tabi footwear


Maison Margila’s signature tabi footwear reappropriates the traditional Japanese design of socks that have the big toe and the remaining four toes kept separate, in a style similar to mittens that keep the thumb separate from the other four fingers. Tabi, also known as Jikatabi, translates from the Japanese as “foot bag.” In Japan, the tabi style has a long history as workers' socks to promote balance of the foot, as well as additional stability, comfort, and flexibility. The socks are easy to wear with traditional Japanese wooden sandals. The socks are still worn in Japan for ceremonial occasions and as part of dressing up in kimono.

The innovative brand features various types of footwear for both men and women in this distinctive Japanese style. The variation is impressive, including sneakers, boots, flats and pumps in a construction that features a split between the big toe and the other toes. The materials are of extremely high-quality and sewn together with superior craftsmanship. Some special models feature shoes in silver leather with a surface so shiny and reflective that it resembles a mirror. Maison Margiela’s use of the Japanese tabi’s structure as the inspiration for its collection of footwear is another example of the brand’s creative fashion aesthetic.

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Maison Margiela

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