history
Belgian born Martin Margiela is a designer renowned for his anonymity within the industry. Never interviewed and rarely photographed, his ultra low profile is synonymous with the brand's ethos of discretion and self-awareness (until May '97, the only visible MMM branding was four white label tacks) and has led to speculation of his departure from the label after appointing a creative collective to head the design team. So, comparatively little is known about Margiela the man, but here's a brief overview of his eponymous label.
Born April 9th, 1957 in Leuven, Belgium, Martin Margiela studied at the Antwerp's Academy of Fine Arts between 1977 -79. Contemporaries there included the ‘Antwerp Six' – a collective of ground breaking Belgian designers of which Margiela is often considered an honorary seventh member.
After graduation Margiela worked as a freelance designer before beginning two years in Paris as a design assistant to Jean Paul Gaultier between 1985 -87. It was here he immersed himself into the radical concepts of Japanese deconstruction, including the work of Comme des Garcons creator Rei Kawakubo. The inversion of established aesthetics – warped proportion, non-traditional fabrics and anti-branding – was a look he made wholly his own upon the establishment of the Maison Martin Margiela label in 1988. The label was established in partnership with Jenny Meirens, the owner of a Brussels based boutique who described the unknown designer as ‘the most talent young designer' she'd ever seen. Headquarters were established at 102 rue Réaumur, Paris and Margiela's first show, women's ready-to-wear was shown for s/s'89.
In 1998 Margiela took the role of creative director for French label Hermès – an unexpected and radical appointment for France's oldest and most established luxury label. For the next five years (until the s/s'94 collection) Margiela produced intelligent and discreet twice-yearly collections shown in the label's rue St-Honoré shop.
By 2002, Martin Margiela had sold a majority stake in his business to Renzo Rosso, founder of Diesel. Although regarded by the industry as an incongruous partnership, the fashion powerhouses created by the 90s economic booms (LVMH and the Gucci group) meant that without this backing Maison Martin Margiela may have struggled to evolve with the market. Of the investment Russo commented, ‘It is still 100 per cent Margiela – he checks every single fabric and fitting, and I can propose, but he can refuse. He can just create, I can take care of the rest.'
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