MAISON MARGIELA
In 1988, Martin Margiela and Jenny Meirens established Maison Martin Margiela. Their first pioneering fashion show ‘Café de la Gare’ followed in October of that year. Margiela showed a radically new visual language, with a silhouette – long, with strikingly narrow shoulders – diametrically opposed the power-dressing of the 1980s.
Maison Martin Margiela became known for its conceptual collections, a predilection for deconstruction and recycled materials, shows at unusual locations, and a unique communication style. After founding his own label, he never made a single public appearance.
Nor did he give any interviews in his own name. Interviews were responded to by fax in the first-person plural, as a gesture of respect to the teamwork underlying the creations, and as a statement in response to the celebrity cults that dominated the fashion world of the 1990s.
