fashionologie

Haider Ackermann's Backer Would "Support Him" If He Designed for Another Label

fashionologie — Tue, 08 Mar 2011 12:57:56 PST

>> Haider Ackermann admitted Sunday that there are houses he'd like to design for - his name, coincidentally, has been thrown into the ring for the Dior job - and the backer for his signature label, Anne Chapelle, confirmed that he's contractually free to work elsewhere: “I would be very proud and would continue to support him and be a mentor in the mind.” But, she notes, when Ackermann was asked to take over at Martin Margiela after the designer left, “I said to Haider: ‘Do you understand the Margiela woman? If the answer is positive, I have no objection. But can you cope with a big house? Here it is very protective. If you scream, I am there to support you.'” [WWD, IHT]

Maison Martin Margiela Fall 2011

fashionologie — Sat, 05 Mar 2011 09:45:23 PST

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Christophe Lemaire Won't Be Doing Runway Extravaganzas at Hermes

fashionologie — Tue, 28 Dec 2010 20:28:17 PST

>> Christophe Lemaire, who shows his first Hermes collection in March, says that instead of channeling former Hermes designer Jean Paul Gaultier's runway extravaganzas, he expects to display his collections in a more intimate setting.

The decision reflects his vision for the brand as a whole, he tells WWD: “I think that it’s time to go back to a more honest vision of fashion, and that there is room for a simpler, more pared-down wardrobe that is better suited to everyday life. I have always campaigned to bring quality and, if possible, poetry to everyday life. You don’t change your wardrobe every six months. You build it up over time.”

He added that he is imaging his Hermes to be more in line with Martin Margiela's - who designed for Hermes between 1998 and 2003 - rather than Gaultier's: “I think I will be walking in the footsteps of Margiela more than Gaultier, even if I have a lot of respect for Jean Paul Gaultier and his virtuosity."

Lemaire, who left his position as Lacoste creative director to join Hermes, alluded to tensions with his previous management: “It’s as if the moment had finally arrived for me to show what I’m capable of. For various reasons, I have always lacked either the maturity or the means to develop my own brand, and at Lacoste, I was working under constraints that meant that, even though I think I did a good job, I was never able to unleash my full potential. So I hope to be able to do that at Hermès.” He continued: “I think I succeeded in projecting a certain vision of the brand [at Lacoste]. The problem with a brand is that if the designer has a vision and the management does not have the same vision, or does not understand that vision, then there is obviously a disconnect. So I think that is being addressed, but it was definitely an issue for me.”

fashionologie — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 08:24:42 PST

>> Is Martin Margiela Going the Helmut Lang Route? -When Helmut Lang left his eponymous label in 2005, he went on to focus on art projects; in the past few years, he has had a smattering of solo art presentations. It sounds like Martin Margiela, who left his namesake label at the end of last year, may be leaning toward a similar path: he's rumored to be going back to school - art school. [@jcreportglobal]

fashionologie — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 10:57:26 PST

>> Martin Margiela Didn't Always Avoid Press -Martin Margiela is legendary for being press shy - you'd be hard-pressed to find a picture of him - but when he was first starting out on his own in the late '80s and early '90s, he did some interviews and appearances. Graca Fisher, who was a model in eight of Margiela's early shows and helped with sales at the time, thinks that the media circus just wasn't to his taste. To illustrate, she describes a shoot for i-D magazine highlighting new designers, in which she and Margiela arrived at the Paris nightclub Palace. She was seated onstage and the photographer directed a man to rub his hands all over her. When they left, she asked Margiela, "What was that all about?" He replied, as she recalls, "Don't ask me. It was disgusting." [NY Times]

fashionologie — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 11:25:54 PST

>> What Are Luella Bartley and Martin Margiela Up To? -Olivier Theyskens has taken his time between labels to put together a book, but what about Martin Margiela, who has officially severed ties with his namesake label, and Luella Bartley, who lost her financing and is to ship her Spring 2010 collection? Margiela wanted to walk away from fashion and has instead been pouring his energies into painting; Bartley, meanwhile, has been acting as creative consultant to Liberty and retreated to Cornwall to look after her three children and decide what to do next. [WWD, Telegraph UK]

UPDATE: Apparently Margiela was in Los Angeles recently, looking for homes in West Hollywood. [@BinkleyOnStyle]

Martin Margiela Is Officially Totally Gone from MMM and Will Not Be Replaced

fashionologie — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 14:08:18 PST

>> For the better part of a year, rumors of Martin Margiela's withdrawal from his label have plagued the industry. In October, majority owner Renzo Rosso finally confirmed that Margiela was no longer involved in design and later said he was about to name a replacement.

It seems Rosso has changed his mind: Giovanni Pungetti, chief executive of Maison Martin Margiela, said today that the designer has quietly left the comapny and will not be replaced. The fashion house, which had in the past offered his job to Haider Ackermann and Raf Simons, will continue to operate with the creative staff, 28-strong, that Margiela developed over his 20-year stint. According to Pungetti: “It would have been very simple to hire someone else, and we evaluated that option, but in the end, what is important is the taste of designer."

What spurred the departure? »

Fashion in 50 Seconds 12/08/09 Lara Stone for Louis Vuitton

coutorture — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 06:00:11 PST

Lara Stone poses with white doves in the first of six Louis Vuitton spring campaign images to be released.

Martin Margiela quietly leaves fashion house and will not be replaced.

Julia Restoin Roitfeld models memorable fall 2009 runway looks in Vogue China.

Rumor has it Naomi Campbell is working on a reality show.

Tom Ford and Roberto Cavalli will appear on The Martha Stewart show this week.

Christopher Kane, Alexander McQueen, Ann Demeulemeester, and whomever is designing for Martin Margiela will create a one-off dress for Printemps' Alice in Wonderland-themed window display.

Sephora is testing make-up vending machines in select JC Penny stores.

Director of Valentino: The Last Emperor, Matt Tyrnauer, on his subjects' thoughts after seeing their first screening of the film, "I showed my director’s cut to Valentino and Giancarlo for the first time in March 2008. “Hate” is really too light a word to describe their reaction."

Source: WWD

fashionologie — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 11:29:30 PDT

>> Renzo Rosso Expects To Name New Margiela Designer Shortly -It was only recently finally confirmed that Martin Margiela is no longer involved with the designing at Maison MM, but the brand's majority stakeholder Renzo Rosso, according to The Moment, says he's "thisclose to naming a new designer at Martin Margiela. Rosso stressed that Martin Margiela will continue to be involved with his namesake label, albeit at a distance." [The Moment, @themoment]

fashionologie — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 15:06:46 PDT

>> Finally Confirmed: Martin Margiela Not Involved in Designing Maison -Just a year ago for the Spring 2009 season, Maison Martin Margiela celebrated its twentieth anniversary with a retrospective show - around that time, rumors began to circulate that the designer left the brand, since bolstered by tepid reviews for the house's Fall 2009 ready-to-wear and couture collections, and most recently, Spring 2010, which Suzy Menkes called "tragic." Over the weekend, Margiela majority stakeholder Renzo Rosso finally confirmed: "Martin has not been there for a long time. He is here but not here. We have a new fresh design team on board. We are focusing on young, realistic energy for the future; this is really Margiela for the year 2015." Also confirmed: the fact that Haider Ackermann was offered creative directorship, but turned it down - likely because the brand refuses to publicize the head designer; it's said that the house is contractually obligated to permanently list Margiela as creative director. [Vogue UK, FWD]