Martin Margiela: Deconstructing Fashion's Silhouette

In the 1980s Martin Margiela led the deconstructionist movement to the forefront of fashion culture. His ripped hems and exposed re-stitching sat defiantly alongside the clean lines of Ralph Lauren and Calvin Klein. Margiela grasped at the perceived ideal of fashion and literally pulled it apart at the seams.

The ‘Artisanal Collection’ is a succinct illustration of Maison Martin Margiela’s central ethos. The original form of the item is eradicated in a matter of rips and stitches, and the fabric is reborn as an enlivened vision of its former self. Something of a reincarnation occurs. Yet in Margiela’s finished garment there is always a flicker of the original form; a tailored line remains, a button keeps its place. This nostalgia prevents Margiela’s deconstruction from being absolute.

From Maison Martin Margiela’s first collection in 1989 the trench coat a prominent feature. However the renovation is more subtle than you might expect, especially from a designer whose iconic pieces resemble a stylish accident with packing tape. Each design can be synched in traditionally at the waist, the belt looped casually into a tie. Upon closer inspection you identify shoulders that resemble seat covers, epaulets too large to be in proportion, a turned up collar high enough to be used as a hood. Here Margiela takes a garment surrounded by assumptions and subtly undermines them. This is of course emblematic of how Margiela treats fashion as a whole.


The biggest part of fashion is identity. Margiela crafts against this preconception. He refuses to reveal himself in writing, in appearance. Models parade along the run way, eyes masked by that notorious black band. The draped fabrics of Margiela blur the structures of traditional silhouettes and in ‘A Doll’s Wardrobe’ collection his play in proportions achieves an almost imperceptible distortion.

It is not enough to describe Margiela as a deconstructionist. He doesn’t just take apart but puts back together. The result is a collection of questions posed at fashion, identity and you.