Hywel Davies reports on the Maison Martin Margiela show
A poncho made from a patchwork of fur scraps and another from leather jackets paid homage to the original Margiela’s take on up-cycling.
The design team at Maison Martin Margiela enlisted musicians as models to embellish their new winter collection. Death in Vegas’ Richard Fearless, Gwilym Gold and Paulo Goude, the son of Grace Jones, and also Jean-Paul Goude strutted nonchalantly in the maison’s latest low-key menswear. While the original Martin Margiela may have subverted his showings by opting for a static presentation in a drafty warehouse or a show on a tube platform or street corner, this show was presented in an Parisian garage but took the format of a straight forward (and straight talking) fashion show.
Slim line suiting employed trompe l’oeil effect to disguise the fact they were all-in-one jumpsuits and detailing including fur collars while scarf’s were sewn onto jacket lapels. A poncho made from a patchwork of fur scraps and another from leather jackets paid homage to the original Margiela’s take on up-cycling. The Artisanal collection was a form of recycling as dead stock was used to transform used objects or garments into new clothes.
There were more wearable clothes than conceptual and the design team crafted suitably elegant wares that adhered to the brands DNA of tailored, fuss-free menswear and will translate into store with ease.
Following Maison Martin Margiela’s recent collaboration with H&M and the news that the label's haute couture collection has been accepted into the Chambre Syndicale, French fashion’s governing body, the brand is infiltrating across the fashion spectrum.
