Until a few weeks ago, few people had heard of Graziella Picozzi. That was before Kerry Taylor Auctions and Maurice Auction announced they would be co-hosting the biggest ever sale of Martin Margiela’s early work- and that Picozzi was behind it. Picozzi, a well put together Italian nonna in her 70s, was the designer’s technical pattern cutter for the first five years of his solo career, right after he finished working at Jean Paul Gaultier. Picozzi had founded her own brand, Deni Cler, for which Margiela began consulting in 1988.
At that time, Margiela was in desperate need of a right hand woman who could work out how to turn his groundbreaking designs into real garments. And although those classic piqued Margiela shoulders may look quotidian now (particularly after the 2012 H&M collab), when they were initially developed in the late 1980s it required a Da Vinci level of technical know-how. That person was Picozzi. “I’ve always said that even if you have a good designer but a bad pattern cutter, nothing will come out right,” says Angela Picozzi, Graziella’s daughter and founder of Castor, a fashion prototyping company based in Italy.
To mark the start of couture week, on the 27 January, 400 individual Margiela pieces dating from 1988 to 1994 (represented in 276 lots) are going to auction. Many of the pieces are from the collection of Picozzi’s daughters Angela and Elena, who began wearing Margiela’s early work as teenagers in the late 1980s.
From full runway looks to individually cellophaned pieces, as well as never before seen toiles, prototypes and pattern pieces, the collection amassed by the Picozzi family is a fashion nerd’s dream. There are even folders of sketches and notes in Margiela’s own hand. The most intriguing pieces in the sale, however, aren’t labelled under Martin Margiela, but a mysteriously titled project called ‘!’: a project that lasted only one season, helmed by Martin Margiela with Graziella Picozzi as co-pilot.
“It was only one collection made up of 60 pieces and was very different from what people were used to buying, so it didn’t sell so well,” Graziella explains. It did, however, set the foundations for a collaboration that would define the terrain of 90s fashion and change how we think of a fashion brand forever. Graziella was the behind-the-scenes wizard of Margiela’s most daring cuts.
We sat down with Graziella and her daughter Angela ahead of the auction to get the story behind the world’s most comprehensive collection of Margiela’s early work – plus what it’s really like to work with the man himself.
How did this collection come together?
Angela: Well, the first thing is that this is not an archive. These are garments that I was wearing at the time. I fell in love with them – of course because of my mum working on them, but also because they were so different from the clothes I knew before. They were a completely new story. We don’t actually know how many pieces we have, but this auction is [composed of] around 400 pieces.
What age were you when you got your first piece?
Angela: 17 or 18. I know, I was very lucky!
Graziella, how did you meet Martin Margiela?
Graziella: In the 1980s, fabric suppliers played a very important role in the industry, and Mr. Roberto Fantoccoli, from a prominent textile company in Como, introduced me to Martin because they were both working with Jean Paul Gaultier. He immediately recognised Margiela’s genius and suggested that I collaborate with him.
“With ‘!’, I understood that we were revolutionising the fashion industry.”
Graziella Picozzi
What was he like?
Graziella: He was different from other designers. He could explain the need for every single detail. Everything was useful, there was a purpose for everything. His mind was amazing, because I really had to go against the rules of tailoring. Together we were trying to find solutions, technical solutions, to give birth to his creativity. It was very emotional!
He always expressed his concepts with simplicity and clarity – there was no need for unnecessary words. He knew exactly what he wanted. His style was defined and unmistakably clear. He was capable of transforming fashion with simple concepts. From the moment I met him, I knew he was someone special. Working with him, everything was different. From the cuts to the zips, everything was completely disruptive.
What can you tell me about ‘!’?
Graziella: Margiela approached me and he wanted to create a brand. It was my first collaboration with Martin and we created an incredible collection. We decided after the first season, it was only going to be one season, and then we decided to open the brand called Martin Margiela. In order to have the space to create this collection, we decided to close ‘!’ and start Margiela.
It was only one collection made up of 60 pieces, and was very different from what people were used to buying, so it didn’t sell so well. But the funny thing is that actually the first collection of Martin Margiela was sold only to one customer in the world.
So how many pieces were produced from the first Martin Margiela collection?
Graziella: Two, maybe three of each design.
Wow. Do you think back then you realised that you were involved in something that was going to change fashion forever?
Graziella: Once we had finished production and saw all the garments together, I understood that we were revolutionising the fashion industry. When he was creating that silhouette and putting together garments, it really was very incredible.
So why do this auction now?
Angela: I really want to celebrate my mother’s work. She’s the person that has always worked behind the scenes. I’ve always said that even if you have a good designer but a bad pattern cutter, nothing will come out right. It’s important for this industry to understand that it’s not just made by one person, but a group of people. For [Graziella], it is different. She really felt she wanted to see the garments on people again.
Credits
Words: Eilidh Duffy
Photography: George Mavrikos, courtesy of Kerry Taylor Auctions and Maurice Auction