Unmasking Margiela

[SuE]

Op-Ed | Unmasking Margiela - BoF

Last week’s unveiling of [] as Maison Martin Margiela’s head designer may have seemed like another casualty of the age of Instagram. But our modern over-exposed world is actually not a threat but an opportunity — if luxury brands can manage anonymity the right way, argue Joe McShea and Lucian James...

[]’s identity was an open secret in the fashion world. He even listed his job title on his (now deleted) LinkedIn profile. But for the purposes of the Margiela narrative, he was anonymous, and he had never been publicly named or photographed before.

Margiela has been actively trading on a philosophy of anonymity for 25 years. An important part of the cult appeal of the brand is based on its erasure of individual identity, and the promotion of the creative collective team...

First Daft Punk, now MMM. Who's next on the list this year?

[AKA*NYC]

anyone familiar with jerzy kosinski's novel pinball?

[Faust]

No, only read the Painted Bird. Do elaborate.

I disagree with the article - I highly doubt that anonymity can be a path to success in the Instagram age. Not on that level. There is simply too much competition and too many demands on one's attention.

[Verdandi]

If memory servews me right, the story focuses on a obsessive fan or groupie trying to unveil the real identity of a rock star whose face and real name were kept a secret before.

I don't agree with this article at all. Partly for the reason Faus already mentioned and partly because Mr Blazy is not Martin Margiela. A lot of the mystique of the brand used to be tied directly to the man himself, despite all the focus on collective within the house itself.

[lowrey]

I don't agree with this article at all. Partly for the reason Faus already mentioned and partly because Mr Blazy is not Martin Margiela. A lot of the mystique of the brand used to be tied directly to the man himself, despite all the focus on collective within the house itself.

Agreed. I really didn't get this.

[AKA*NYC]

No, only read the Painted Bird. Do elaborate.

pinball is about a couple who seeks to expose the identity of an anonymous music star and explores many of issues this article raises.

the painted bird is one of my all time favorite novels.

btw i know there is a lot of controversy about kosinski but his work - even if ghostwritten - is so damn good.

[Faust]

Yes, The Painted Bird was a revelation. Quite a life this guy had. A true Bohemian.

[avout]

Like the Gabriel Hounds brand in Zero History. Except again, that probably worked so well because it's fiction.

[AKA*NYC]

Yes, The Painted Bird was a revelation. Quite a life this guy had. A true Bohemian.

a bohemian he definitely was. i recall a quote of his about the importance of cafe society and how he felt most at home in that atmosphere.

the painted bird has been exposed as completely fictitious: if anything it was inspired by his friend roman polanski's experience. also many of the iniquities described in the book were imagined. to me this doesn't reduce the novel's power and significance however many of his contemporaries (and the polish people who took the novel as a national insult) felt duped.

here is a good article for anyone interested:

http://www.artsandopinion.com/2007_v6_n6/routh-3.htm

[galia]

I new that before reading it, and therefore could feel nothing but nauseous at the abjection of the whole lie. And I'm not faint hearted. The man is just such a piece of shit...

[BodyDouble]

^^Thank you for linking to that article. Fantastic.


Regarding the unveiling of head designer, I don't think it's any different then when they've shown photos of the Margiela atelier design team at work.

Also OP, what do you mean by First Daft Punk and now MMM?

Daft Punk were never really anonymous, They used to appear on all the music magazines like mixmag, dj and urb around the time Homework hit. They have their portraits on the homework album. They were never trying to be anonymous, they were just shy and tired of always being interviewed and put on a pedestal and wanted to do something different and let the music speak for itself. Thomas Bangalter ran his record label roulé and dj'ed and composed music out in the open. Both actually technically still dj small shows in l.a. without donning their masks or anything. LCD Soundsystem's Daft Punk is playing at my house is basically about that.

end rant

[Fuuma]

Isn't the lesson of the painted bird the incredible discovery that attaching "holocaust novel" to a work will make people perceive Sade as Anne Frank.

As for anonymity it is not synonymous with complete disappearance. I think I have two pics of Margiela and it's not like he wasn't present before and at the shows and meeting various people, he just didn't take a bow or give interviews/promote himself. The idea is that a brand may elect not to put it's creator center stage and take steps to attain that goal, it is still a valid way of doing things.

[Scander]

I don't think this "unmasking" is a considerable thing for fashion. Who cares of this event? Who works in fashion I think that already knows him for his role. Who can buy those expensive clothes or are rich people who don't give a fuck about all Margiela story or are students, photographers etc. that works in this reference system from the bottom. So is this an "unmasking" only for us? And Martin who is?