Remaking Margiela

A recent Paris retrospective brought the influence ofMartin Margiela into sharp relief. Christian Barkerlooks at the enduring impact of the reclusivefashion rebel and identifies his inspirations

- Christian Barker

Many a designer has been inspired by Martin Margiela, the Belgian iconoclast whose eponymous maison reshaped our conception of fashion over a 20-year period from 1989 to 2009. Raf Simons says witnessing one of Margiela’s first shows, in a derelict Paris playground, “is the reason I became a fashion designer.” Marc Jacobs remarked a decade ago, “Anybody who’s aware of what life is in a contemporary world is influenced by Margiela.”

That may be a bit of an overstatement, the comment of someone living in a fashion industry bubble. But within that bubble, Margiela’s influence is clear; his impact is palpable in recent collections from labels as disparate as Céline, Gucci, Erdem and Isabel Marant. Without question, however, it is Vetements and Balenciaga creative director Demna Gvasalia, a Maison Margiela design team alumnus, who is the most notable of the contemporary Margiela imitators, perennially wearing the master’s influence on his (oversized) sleeve.

In design and delivery (via DHL, no doubt) Gvasalia’s work for Vetements consistently follows the Margiela playbook. From a marketing and communication perspective: taking an “anti-fashion” stance; positioning the brand’s product as the creation of a collective, not just one figurehead; holding shows in odd, cramped, unglamorous venues; using street-cast nonmodels. And as for the clothes: slashed and deconstructed/ reconstructed garments; outlandishly supersized silhouettes; exaggerated shoulders; denim patchwork and multi-garment pastiche; repurposing or remaking “trash;” scribbly, public lavatory-style graffiti; Japanese “tabi” footwear …