Martin Margiela is the most secretive of designers. There’s only one photograph of him known to exist, snapped way back in 1997, and only printed in 2007. He famously never gave a post-show bow, and only conducted interviews collectively with his design team, via fax.
But he’s having a little moment in the public eye right now, or his clothes are, anyway. First up, his tenure at Hermes — where he was creative director between 97 and 03 — is getting the retrospective treatment at Antwerp’s MoMu.
Now according to Le Figaro, and reported via WWD, a dedicated retrospective of Martin’s career is coming to Paris’ Palais Galliera in 2018. Though no other details were available immediately, in true Margiela style, it’s all under wraps. Few designers though, have had so many groundbreaking, amazing ideas in their work for us to pour over. Whatever you can think of, Martin probably did it first.
Martin Margiela ran his label between 1989 and 2009. The brand was bought by Renzo Russo in 2002, and the Italian announced in 2009 that Martin had left the company. Following a few years of anonymous designers heading the label, John Galliano took the reigns in 2014.
Conspicuously even more absent than usual in recent years, Margiela’s influence and spirit is everywhere, from Vetements to John Galliano himself, and everyone in between. Few have had such a lasting impact on the world of fashion.
Credits
Text Felix Petty
Photography Mitchell Sams