Synonymous with groundbreaking avant-garde fashion pieces Maison Martin Margiela has never been one to follow the crowd.
In Paris he showcased his S/S 09 collection but no one will know if he heard the roars that ensued as the show was drawn to a close by the walk of a perambulating birthday cake, entire marching band and his many lab-coated assistants as, by tradition, he was absent. He has remained a mystery man in a forward thinking, pioneering Maison, but this has not stopped the demand to have access to the product.
And after twenty years the Maison has answered. In a preface to a new direction with the brand, Martin Margiela has introduced a proposal in the form prototypes of interior products and architecture that are in development for the future.
For Salone de Mobile the team has produced a recreation of their Parisian studio and LA office as a means for viewer to understand the style concept behind the work of the future. By means of photographing and copying, giant prints cover walls to depict the space usually inhabited by the Maison’s team to show how the interior of the space has developed into a demand for manufactured goods implying the brands habitual style. It’s a breathtaking space for a fashion house. One would surely dream up crisp clean lines, expensive furniture and use of materials not to mention an impersonal space with focus being on the production of world renowned designer womenswear, menswear and accessories rather than a charming team willing to talk you through their witty, warm and inspiring reproduced studio.
A shelf made entirely out of white brackets catches my eye not only for subverting the traditional use of the item but the fact that they are currently home to 6 giant snowglobes filled untraditionally with just glitter. No twee scene depicting snowmen, or famous landmarks are housed in the perfectly polished thirty centimetre domes. Just glitter. It’s very Margiela. Deconstructing pieces has always be paramount in the brands signature style; as well as radical applications of materials, and their perceived language.
My magpie eyes were still pleased by the glinting of the fifteen or so lamps sprawling out over worktops. Made from recycled bottles, to me, they shouldn’t be half as beautiful as they are. Basic yet warm cotton shades transform the glass into a wonderland of shape and glint rather than focus on what they once were. There are also a large number of designs in various stages of progress and production; the brands ‘line 13’ including white cushions, feather pens and faceless Russian dolls. A shelf made of giant nails, fabric calendars and white cotton ensembles are covetably displayed alongside keepsakes and finds that inspiration has risen from. Everything an almost perfect copy of the working spaces they inhabit.
The space has to be seen to be fully appreciated. There are touches that on paper would sound part of the everyday, and in some circumstances would be overlooked. Each one adds to the drive to become the lifestyle brand that Maison Martin Margiela is striving, and to many would seem achieving. And you know what? I hope they do.
Maison Martin Margiela. ‘Mat, Satine, Brilliant’ on via Savona 60
Text: Emily McGeevor