Maison Martin Margiela is not for everyone. Ever since it was founded 24 years ago, the house has thrived on breaking the rules and re-interpreting fashion as we know it.
The collection includes re-issues of previously released items as well as newly conceived fusions of older designs produced by the fashion house
However, last Thursday, the name once whispered among the avant-gardists of the European fashion scene made a splash in the most peculiar way: a collaboration with retail giant H&M that has raised more than a few eyebrows.
Unlike the usual flurry of glossy adverts, Margiela chose to stay true to its experimental and creative streak by hosting a modern dance and art performance and displaying silent manifestos throughout the globe, which included white apron-donning men and women walking in straight lines holding placards to advertise the collection.
However, it is interesting to note that while the label’s methods are considered to be somewhat quirky, its celebrity following is anything but.
Sex and the City’s fashion titan Sarah Jessica Parker praised the partnership: “It’s incredible, so exciting to celebrate one of my favourite designers. They are mysterious and compelling and I’ve been a great fan of Margiela for many years. H&M, well, look at the lines of men and women lined up! It’s a great opportunity for people to have access to great designers. It makes luxury available to everyone. It’s very democratic and I’m all for it.”
So what are we to expect from the Belgian label that turned deconstruction into a fine art? Margiela has taken a unique approach to the collaboration and the 104-piece collection includes re-issues of previously released items as well as newly conceived fusions of older designs produced by the fashion house.
Furthermore, in an unprecedented move fans will surely appreciate, each piece carries a tag detailing the season it originally came from.
H&M have shown great support for this idea and creative director Margareta van den Bosch said that “with these Maison Martin Margiela re-editions, some of the most important garments in recent fashion history will be made available at H&M. The pieces are incredibly accurate to the original, and prove how the most radical concept can result in fashion that is both desirable and wearable”.
One look at the collection confirms the fashion world’s expectations, with oversized garments and beautiful intricately-folded dresses jostling next to fine, sharply-cut masculine tailoring for pride of place. Accessories range from weird and wonderful handbags with gloves for handles to faceless watches.
In addition to all this, the label has strived to make itself accessible not only with prices starting from as little as €10 but also by incorporating pieces that are sure to be coveted by those who are new to the label, such as the tan and perspex shoes and candy wrapper bags in pink and silver that are already kicking up a storm in the offices of the world’s most discerning fashion writers.
Maison Martin Margiela with H&M can be viewed online at www.hm.com.