Maison Martin Margiela

[laika]

Re: Maison Martin Margiela

^Would you care to elaborate? [51]

[Faust]

Re: Maison Martin Margiela



Holy shit. $1500 tshirt.

[laika]

Re: Maison Martin Margiela

[quote user="new_dawn_fades"]

only margiela can get away with this... any other designer would have been shut down by the press as being a bit 'fresh out of fashion-school'


MMM's accessories are their strong point IMO..purely because they integrate into peoples wardrobes easily.-eg tabi boots etc

There is something about the presentation as well that saddens me, somehow it lacks the honesty that was apparent in some of his earlier shows.

a little excerpt from Sarah Mowers review from style.com.....

i dont have much to say really.. except for the fact that i think hes a bit too hyped- like everybodys favourite old rock star.

[/quote]

ndf, as a long time follower myself, i completely understand where you're coming from.[51] I agree that the f/w show was pretty uninspired, not because it was unwearable, but because MMM basically just took the elevated shoulders from last season and made them more extreme. [|-)] And yes, his presentations are not nearly as creative as they were in the old days.

But, can we please stop criticizing designers on the basis of (often non-existent) hype? The rest of that Sarah Mower review was barely lukewarm and Cathy Horyn and Suzy Menkes both panned the show:

Cathy: " One of the most astute and complicated designers of his generation,
Mr. Margiela would have to rely on the good will of his audience if he
expected people to see design virtues (or signs of effort) in beige
minidresses with jumbo cowl necks, one-shoulder jersey tops sweeping
over mismatched leggings, and black leather jackets that soared upward
at the shoulder like a smokestack.
Nothing made sense even by
Mr. Margiela?s enigmatic standards. In the past, he has always seemed a
designer who reacts to things from his consciousness, a quality that
not only set him apart but also gave his fashion extra perceptive
power. This collection, though, looked strictly off the cuff, or maybe
was the work of assistants."

Suzy: "Behind the Belgian designer's creative impulses for Maison Martin Margiela
was an unbroken thread of normality reinterpreted and that quirky
classicism is the soul of the brand. So what to make of the fall/winter
collection that was shown in the most regular way on a circular runway
but seemed to be based on weird pastiches of what Margiela stands for? [...] The show was puzzle and seemed out of character."

The press doesn't generally give handouts to designers when advertising dollars aren't at risk....

[zamb]

Re: Maison Martin Margiela

---

Art Versus Commerce: Can Margiela Expand Without Selling Out?

PARIS ? Martin Margiela, the ultimate industry outsider, is trying out a new and unexpected persona: fashion's next big thing.

Twenty years after the Belgian iconoclast founded a fashion house based on deconstruction, cleft-toed boots and a compulsion to cover surfaces with white cotton or paint, his namesake brand is riding high and sailing into new, high-visibility categories like fragrance and fine jewelry. But does the designer's participation in such expansion activity suggest that finally, Margiela is selling out on long-held principles ? some would say pretensions ? in favor of cashing in on fashion's more mainstream spoils?

Consolidated revenues at Margiela, majority owned by Renzo Rosso's Only the Brave Srl since 2002, catapulted 50 percent last year to 60 million euros, or $82.2 million at average exchange, with the brand showing strength on all fronts and in all channels, said Giovanni Pungetti, Margiela's chief executive officer. He also disclosed the company is profitable for the first time since the acquisition, following an investment phase to improve production and sales, open more boutiques and add product lines."According to me, we are hot because we are democratic, we are ourselves and we don?t like to shout."
? Giovanni Pungetti, Martin Margiela
Sales are forecast to advance at a strong double-digit pace this year, in the neighborhood of 25 percent, as the company plants new stores in downtown Moscow, Dubai and a yet-to-be-determined city in Germany, along with a second location in Hong Kong.

"The brand is quite hot," Pungetti said, flashing a big smile. "It's a good moment."

To be sure, a company long cloaked in mystery and steeped in conceptual high-mindedness is now demonstrating a new commercial bent, with Margiela's new deal with beauty giant L'Oréal the most prominent example. It's a transformation that some former employees and Margiela stalwarts contend has diminished the integrity of the house.

Yet the designer and principals at his namesake company balk at suggestions Margiela has sold out ? or that Rosso is cashing in inappropriately. "I always worked to maintain the status of this brand as very high, and since the acquisition, I think it's even higher," Rosso told WWD. "In this particular moment, the luxury market is very mature, and it is more open to revolutionary products such as ours in comparison with luxury products from institutional brands.

"The Margiela business is having a very good momentum because it has always done very fresh, innovative and inspirational products."

In an interview at Margiela's showroom, its parquet floors in dire need of varnish and with a makeshift coffee table composed of stacks of white paper under a slab of Perspex, Pungetti waved off terms like "launches," "rollouts" and "marketing tactics."

"I prefer the expression 'making the brand accessible,' available to more people," he retorted. "The brand is exactly the same. It's very, very close to what we bought six years ago. We are simply completing the offer."

Pungetti, dressed in jeans and frequently smoothing back his shaggy locks to reveal lamb-chop sideburns, noted that Rosso did not launch a Margiela jeans line, as many suspected when the flamboyant Italian industrialist behind the Diesel empire seized control of an offbeat, indie brand with a cultlike following and an intellectual, artistic orientation.

Instead, Pungetti described a process of step-by-step development and evolution designed to preserve "the same values, the same philosophy," while bringing Margiela's designs and lifestyle concept to a broader public, including in emerging markets like Asia and Eastern Europe. Japan is Margiela's largest market, followed by Italy and the U.S.

"Asia is quite unbelievable. We are exploding in that area, even if we didn't attack yet the real Chinese market," Pungetti said. He then retracted the word "attack" and added a caveat: "We have to find the right approach to the market because we are not an easy brand."

And how. Margiela himself continues to maintain a strict policy of invisibility: never showing his face or granting interviews, instead dispatching information or answering questions via e-mail on behalf of the Maison Martin Margiela.

Asked if the designer might turn up for any of the sundry events planned this fall to mark the house's big birthday, one of his press attachés responded dryly: "Probably not."

Responding to a questionnaire from WWD, Margiela, always speaking in the plural "we," noted the "newfound stability and comfort in our environment has allowed creativity to flow more easily, therefore leading to even more new collections."

Pungetti acknowledged Margiela faced financial problems that led to the sale to Rosso ? and the arrival of a more corporate culture.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, former Margiela employees described how a sectlike design staff with an underground ethos and patchy payroll has morphed into an efficient, modern fashion company, but not without a price. "Being caught between two forces ? Margiela and Renzo ? is not an easy thing," said one.

But they note Rosso is respectful of the designer's oeuvre and that Margiela seems happy to be relieved of financial strain, focusing his energies instead on designing the runway collection, his "artisanal" line and new projects that weren't possible before.

While some spy elements in Margiela's universe today that would have been considered anathema in the old days ? shiny fabrics, sexy runway models, signage on stores and the iconic four stitches visible on leather goods ? these employees say the designer is in a more "grown-up" period, ready to produce and sell. "I suppose there are compromises," said one former employee. "You pick your battles."

Yet the designer was allowed to maintain an arsenal of quirks, from open seating at his fashion shows to complete media invisibility.

"The withdrawal of a designer's profile creates a space that the garments may fill," the Maison Margiela said.

Pungetti said the designer's Greta Garbo-like ways have not been a hindrance, insisting that Margiela's point is not about hiding in shadows, but rather leaving the light focused on his designs.

Rosso agreed: "Not having celebrities is a point of strength as we set up an honest dialogue with the audience to convey and sell the product's beauty and not the celebrity's."

Pungetti said he would "never say never" to some of the common industry tactics Margiela has shunned ? advertising, celebrity dressing, "It" bags and the like ? but noted there are no plans to change course for the moment. "We also love to do what everybody's doing in a completely different way," he said.

For example, Margiela tiptoed into eyewear this year, but with one oddball style that, when worn, looks like a black bar across the eyes, thus hiding a person's identity. It was produced without a licensing agreement and introduced in Margiela stores without fanfare. Margiela's retail network is another example. Before Diesel arrived, the designer already had an international distribution from Barneys New York to Selfridges in London and 15 of his own stores, albeit in obscure locations, without markings, with labyrinth-like layouts hardly conducive to business."They were not findable by anybody," said Pungetti, noting some units have been moved closer to prime shopping areas, For example, in Tokyo, the Aoyama store was relocated to the more trafficked Omotesando district. In addition, signage has been added and merchandising made more customer-friendly.

But quirky touches remain, including clusters of vintage chairs under slipcovers, sagging shelves for shoes, sales associates dressed in white lab coats and, in lieu of standard window displays, unopened mail and empty crates left by the entrance.

The executive confessed he had his doubts when he proposed to Margiela a Milan store on Via Spiga, one of the busiest streets in Milan's fashionable Golden Triangle. But since the space was originally a private home, and nestled in a courtyard, the designer approved (although, true to form, he did slip out before the opening party during Milan Fashion Week in the fall). "You can find it, but again, it's not screaming," Pungetti said of the Milan shop. "The retail business, especially last year, was really booming."

At present, about 30 percent of Margiela's revenues are from its network of 32 freestanding stores and shop-in-shops ? and the ratio is expected to grow. Although the company targets five to six openings a year, it does not always succeed in finding locations that meet Margiela's checklist.

Pungetti repeatedly stressed that all of the brand's expansion avenues ? from the perfume license with L'Oréal to a new sartorial men's line ? are done with the designer's blessing. "He's very involved. He touches every product. He's absolutely excited by those new projects," Pungetti related. "He always says he loves the idea of reaching new markets. He understands the brand needs to have more expression of its essence. He was able to adapt himself to this new way."

Asked if launching fragrance and jewelry were tantamount to giving up the avant-garde mantle, Margiela responded: "We have always been interested in fragrance. With our growing organization, only now have we been afforded the opportunity to explore the fragrance market. For us, it is a thrilling challenge to be able to express our vision and values also through this. Each designer should have his own vision for his brand-company, but the most difficult thing is to express this clearly and to share it with others."

t seems Margiela has even left the door open to a call from, perhaps not Britney Spears, but say a Tilda Swinton or Charlotte Gainsbourg.

"We are evolving in regards to 'celebrity dressing' due to so many loyal followers in the public eye requesting to wear our [designs] for their public appearances, and also for their day-to-day life," Margiela said. "We are looking into this."

For all his quirks, Margiela has succeeded in creating a balanced business ? about 60 percent women's and 40 percent men's ? with momentum across all product categories.

Asked to account for Margiela's current popularity, without any major events or ad push, Pungetti suggested that perhaps it stands out in a world of hype and noise. "According to me, we are hot because we are democratic, we are ourselves and we don't like to shout," he said, slipping into the house's collective parlance. "If you have to do advertising, we're obliged to say something. Instead, we open the door and say, 'Come in. See and smell what you want.'"

Source: WWD

[Jon]

Re: Maison Martin Margiela



Does anybody else ever wonder if Margiela secretly died years ago and all the decisionsfor MMM are made by a super-computer directly connected to his cryogenically preserved brain in a secret lab in Diesel HQ?

...no? Just me?

I mean, it explains why there's no photos.

[Casius]

Re: Maison Martin Margiela



Zam, thank you for posting that.

I definitely don't think he's selling out (I'm sure most said the same thing when he sold part of his company back in the day), it's just expanding on a good thing. The minute we start seeing ads, Margiela stores in malls, etc. then maybe, but I don't see it now.

[orphée]

Re: Maison Martin Margiela

Judging by the horse, shark and tiger T-shirts, one might even wonder whether that super-computer is hooked up to a lava lamp. Yet I still stand by him...perhaps out of nostalgia. And each person has their own personal references in that respect. A particular moment, scent, image. Maybe his were black-light posters and tigers. Should we fault him for having some strange fun ( a 'what-the-hell' moment)-- even be it our expense? And should he become to commercial....well,simply close that book and move on.

[diamonds]

Re: Maison Martin Margiela

one thing that's always disturbed me is that MMM always switches between 'we' and 'i' during interviews... he has a 'lab' though right? maybe he's a clone

[orphée]

Re: Maison Martin Margiela

the royal 'we'....or perhaps something more disturbing (royalty has always had a touch of incest (I/we).....the Habsburg nose, for instance....)

[iSuck]

Re: Maison Martin Margiela

[quote user="Casius"][quote user="iSuck"]At Barneys yesterday I was with my friend in the Margiela section of Barneys and she bought 2 great pieces that I think the females of this forum would look great in. A pastel green, purple, pink, blue, yellow ombre cotton long top with a satin rope tie at the neck ($595) and then either a dress or top in long black cotton with a rainbow prisim offset on the side (like $895). Both seemed a very good "bang for your buck" when it comes to designer goods.[/quote]

For me, his womenswear seriously blows the doors off the menswear. Even on Eluxury, there are some great women's pieces and some of them are priced pretty well (for what you're getting).

[/quote]

like $1200 in silk

under $600 in super soft drapey cotton

this they have as a dress and then a sleeveless one that could work for a guy I think (it doesn't have that little tiny cap sleeve like in the picture)

[dontbecruel]

Re: Maison Martin Margiela



I second that on the jeans Faust.

The long-running Line 14 Margiela jeans in indigo are my all-time favourite pair of jeans I've ever owned by a million miles. Sitting on my shelf I have a pristine pair in size 46 (they size VERY big) which I always promise myself I'll slim down enough to fit into. My size 48 pair are finally knackered and I haven't seen them on sale in the Margiela store for the last couple of seasons.

[Faust]

Re: Maison Martin Margiela

Martin Margiela unveiled a retrospective exhibition in China, featuring
his signature white-wash-style on cotton-covered dummies, a car covered
with a sheet, the contents of an anonymous woman's handbag on a podium
and clothing. Hong Kong retailer I.T. sponsored the exhibit, which
runs
through July 1 at Beijing's 798 Art District, an abandoned factory
district that was taken over by contemporary artists in the
mid-Nineties. Eight rooms displayed archive documents, videos and
samples of Margiela's designs, allowing visitors to interact with
notable pieces from past collections, reported Women's Wear Daily.


Margiela dressed life-size photo boards of models with his
creations, like a slate leather jacket overrun with blue veins and a
stiff piecemeal vest. Other notable displays included a
Margiela-designed car cover and a vintage wedding dress torn apart and
reassembled into a sexy strapless gown. Another room featured snapshots
and three-dimensional renderings of Margiela's flagships in cities such
as London, Paris and New York.

"An exhibition showing the different aspects of the house is quite
rare," said Maison Martin Margiela in a statement. "This is a chance
for us to present ourselves, to present the house's philosophy and DNA."

Margiela executives said they "definitely" see a Beijing flagship in
the company's future but they declined to elaborate on timing. The
brand plans to enter four to five second-tier cities in Mainland China
over the next year, they told WWD.

[drexl]

Maison Martin Margiela Artisanal



Some stuff from the SS09 Artisanal collection, taken from Diane Pernet's blog:

"Eight hanks of wool are twisted to create a top with openwork lining.
Trench-style top - two trench coats in similar shades are partially cut
up and put together to make an asymetrical top.

Gift ribbon jewellry, a ribbon of brass wire made to look like the bows
o a "gift-wrapped present" is coated in silver to make a piece of
plastron jewellry. Records dress is a crepe de chine dress decorated
with 35 and 45 rpm records. The records have been cut, thenshaped while
warm to mould to the shape of the body.

Balloon Jacket, 30 balloons are put together by means of a twisting
system. A dinner jacket, trousers and dress shirt are hung from four
hangers to make up an evening suit.

Plastic Bag Dress - two plastic bags lined with silk taffeta form the
bodice of the dress, details such as the handles and bag fastenings are
retained."

[williamorales]

what does deconstruction mean? i keep hearing it when reading about margiela. is it the same as unstructured when talking about jackets? i'm guessing it may be quite far but i have a few margiela trousers but no jackets so couldn't make a comparison.

[AKA*NYC]

what does deconstruction mean?

From Wikipedia: Deconstruction is a term used in philosophy, literary criticism, and the social sciences, popularised through its usage by Jacques Derrida in the 1960s. Deconstruction refers to an approach which rigorously pursues the meaning of a text to the point of undoing the oppositions on which it is apparently founded, and to the point of showing that those foundations are irreducibly complex, unstable or, indeed, impossible.

The term loosely applies to just about everything including music, fashion, cuisine, etc.