Exploring Martin Margiela's studios, who was born on this day in 1957 🖤
“There was a sense of protecting the place we worked, of being discreet, and that made it feel special,” says Harley Hughes, then menswear designer at Margiela, in the film, and that sense is palpable throughout.
However democratic the mindset behind Maison Martin Margiela – and even the name of the house was created to deflect attention from the designer allowing him to maintain his behind-the-scenes position while the business grew – at the centre of the ‘We’ was Meirens. She died in July this year but her presence looms large throughout the film and her words are especially precious in light of that.
“To me, Martin is an artist. He uses fashion as a way to express himself, but he could just as easily be a conceptual artist, a great artist” – Jenny MeirensPraise indeed, and from a woman who was, in her own right, a force to be reckoned with: it was Margiela who asked Meirens to form a partnership with him, her already being a fixture on the Antwerp fashion scene, not least as the first person to bring Comme des Garçons to that city: she opened a store for Rei Kawakubo there in 1984.
It started out with just the two of them, ideas bouncing between Meirens and Margiela, talking about everything from the clothes to the blank white label distinguishing the clothes. The latter was Meirens’ idea and it remains the most brilliant subversion of the idea of status in designer fashion to this day. The four also-white stitches at each corner, and the fact that they were visible from the outside in unlined garments, came courtesy of Margiela.
Later, the Margiela team was built by Meirens who favoured staffing the maison with those who had previously worked outside of the fashion industry: she once told me she sometimes found those who had travelled a more conventional path “hysterical”. Her daughter, Sophie Pay, appears in the documentary and worked both as a model for Margiela and for the sales team.
South Africa Latest News, South Africa Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Inside Martin Margiela’s All-White MaisonWhen AnOther Magazine’s Susannah Frankel looked inside the legendary atelier of Martin Margiela while he was still at his namesake label
Read more »
Tracing Martin Margiela’s Legacy Through Five Seminal PiecesAs a landmark exhibition of his work opens in Paris, we take a closer look at the garments that defined the mysterious designer
Read more »
How this historically black college gymnastics team made historyFor decades, young black gymnasts had to make a difficult choice about where to go to university.
Read more »
Team DSM, Jumbo-Visma To Race Paris-Roubaix with Tire Pressure Control SystemsIt's easy enough to call the new systems a 'revolutionary innovation.' This Sunday, two pro teams will put it to the test.
Read more »
Predicted Newcastle team v Brentford - These four changesPredicted Newcastle team v Brentford - These four changes nufc
Read more »