Under the creative direction of infamous force of fashion John Galliano, Maison Margiela is a provocative powerhouse in the luxury arena.
Following the departure of the label's namesake Martin Margiela in 2009, an anonymous design team led the label's output with no single creative lead for the collections. With the 2014 appointment of arguably one of the most controversial and polarising designers of our time, John Galliano, the French label reemerged rejuvenated and with fresh creative perspective.
Best known for its exploration of deconstruction and decomposition, Maison Margiela examines the destroyed and wholly unbeautiful to reimage the ruined, and cast the disposable in a new light. This process of taking inspiration from damage and destruction has given birth to a powerful aesthetic voice which is anticipated season after season.
This theme is perhaps most accessibly explored in the label's footwear offering, where Margiela takes classic sneaker and shoe silhouettes and defaces them with paint splatter, ink, and a cyclonic array of rough and smooth textures. These 'ruined' statement sneaks sit in perfect harmony with a spread of super-minimal counterparts in a considered display of the house's capacity for producing a range of product that runs from the hyper-clean to the downright chaotic.
Maison Margiela AW17 is now available at END.
