Appointed Creative Director in 2014, the British couturier John Galliano exercises his visual language to expand on the grammar of Maison Margiela, creating a new technical vocabulary that cements the house’s position as a singular and autonomous entity in the realm of luxury. Through figurative cutting and illustrative gestures, the collections encourage a conscious approach to dressing, and activate collective memories fundamental to the creation of community. Garments and accessories are imbued with traces of time key to the presence of soul and emotional value.
Revolutionary and cutting-edge, the Maison’s premise observes the philosophies of the Belgian designer Martin Margiela, who founded the house in 1988 under the label Maison Martin Margiela. Considering fashion as an art of meaning rather than a cult of personality, Martin Margiela built the Maison on codes of anonymity, intrigue and deconstruction: thought-provoking elements that continue to permeate its present-day collections. Among Maison Margiela’s historical signatures are the blank, white label and its four stitches, the numeric coding, and the use of brush-stroked white paint, which continue to signify the hand of the Maison today.
Maison Margiela has held the Haute Couture appellation since 2012. The house became part of the OTB Group in 2002.