Mon, 09/29/08 — 03:32:07 PM
>> In what could very well be his last collection, given all the rumors about his exit, Martin Margiela went the retrospective route for his twentieth anniversary collection — it would be a very fitting end, no? All of the models were faceless — a nod to the designer's obsession with anonymity — and the house uniform, a white lab coat, came out in various forms, including during the final bow, when the entire staff emerged on the runway rather than Margiela himself. A hit parade of plastic bags, disco balls, bustier catsuits, Barbie clothes, and AIDS T-shirts led into the final look: a giant silk birthday cake, with two pairs of legs underneath. Was it Margiela's final look ever?
*image: source
Mon, 09/29/08 — 11:03:04 AM
>> Martin Margiela may rarely speak out, but over the weekend, plenty of people were doing some talking for him. As the designer prepares for his twentieth anniversary Maison Martin Margiela show this evening, rumors are swirling that he is about to exit fashion entirely.
Over the last year, Margiela has told colleagues that he wants to stop designing and is looking for a successor, and two designers have admitted to be in talks with Renzo Rosso, who owns Maison Martin Margiela. One of those designers may be Raf Simons, who earlier this year discussed the possibility of replacing Margiela before ultimately deciding to stay at Jil Sander.
Although some of Margiela's colleagues disagree, Renzo Rosso said last week that "for a long time [Margiela] has a strong team and does not work on the collection, just on special projects," which if true, leaves the potential new designer with an open door.
*image: source
Tue, 08/19/08 — 03:33:13 PM
>> BLOWING THE COVER —September 2008 Interview is in full-on Fabien Baron mode, with a glossy cover, font blocks, designer cameos, plus an interview with Kate Moss and the first Martin Margiela interview in ten years. A preview of the goods with just one click (NSFW). [Chic Report]
Sat, 07/12/08 — 01:51:46 PM
>> You may have thought Martin Margiela an unlikely man to grow his brand in a big way, but his plans say otherwise. A new eyewear style for Spring 2009, his first scent for Fall 2009, but first: A fine jewelry collection in conjunction with Damiani.
The chunky, minimalist collection of 14 pieces arrives in stores in November, with prices ranging from $1,100 to $61,800. Margiela plans to design one fine jewelry collection a year.
*image: source
Wed, 05/28/08 — 02:21:00 AM
>> Here's one that's almost as bad as the Marc Jacobs scarf debacle of February 2008. Martin Margiela created an emphasized-shoulder cotton t-shirt with an esoteric horse graphic as part of his Spring 2008 collection. The shirt has been sell-out, even at a whopping $1,395 a pop.
Problem is, the image on the tee is nearly identical to an image painted by British artist David Penfound in 1998, which also covers t-shirts . . . thatretail for $19.95. Margiela's reps say their graphic is a "collage of nostalgic images compiled in-house," but you can jump to your own conclusions. Let's just put it this way: When asked about the similarity, Penfound said he planned on contacting Margiela.
*images: source, source
