Belgian designer Martin Margiela (b. 1957) — whose life, career, and designs for handbags, clothing and shoes have become cult-collector obsessions — pushed those who attended his shows outside their comfort zones. In the years following the 1988 debut of Maison Martin Margiela, he toyed with creative and aesthetic paradoxes that persist in fashion today.
Consider the Spring/Summer 2001 shirt patchworked from vintage clothing labels, or his famous corset dresses made from tailoring dummies, from his Fall/Winter 1997 line. Or his oversize collection for Fall/Winter 2000. In 1992, Margiela told Dépêche Mode magazine, “My clothes appeal to women of a certain mindset rather than of a specific age or physique.”
Born in Genk, Belgium, in 1957, Margiela knew he wanted to be a fashion designer after catching glimpses of Parisian fashion on TV as a child. Although his parents discouraged this career choice as an oddly funny aspiration, Margiela enrolled in the fashion program of the Royal Academy of Fine Arts Antwerp. There, he befriended and graduated a year ahead of the Antwerp Six — the acclaimed group of Belgian fashion designers comprising Dries Van Noten, Walter Van Beirendonck, Ann Demeulemeester, Marina Yee, Dirk Bikkembergs and Dirk Van Saene.
Like many of his contemporaries in the 1980s, Margiela understood Paris fashion but felt a deep resonance with the deconstructed beauty espoused by Japanese designers Yohji Yamamoto and Rei Kawakubo, of Comme des Garçons. Margiela’s fascination with Japan influenced many of his earliest collections and designs, from a dress pieced together from broken plates to his iconic Tabi boots, inspired by the split-toe Japanese worker’s shoe, which dates back to the 15th century.
Margiela decided to launch his own line while working for renowned Paris designer Jean Paul Gaultier. With Belgian designer Jenny Meirens, Margiela established Maison Martin Margiela in the French capital in 1988.
Margiela’s debut show was nothing short of spectacular. Set in a packed Café de la Gare in the still-seedy Marais district, it was also scandalous to the Parisian fashion set of the time. The designer tore up the conventions of contemporary couture presentations, most notably having his models, plucked from the streets and wearing ink-blotted Tabis, wend their way through the crowd.
The show redefined the concept of the runway in a way that would later inspire such designers as Alexander McQueen and Demna Gvasalia.
While the notoriously private designer retired from fashion in 2009, for many Maison Martin Margiela collectors, his pieces capture the irreverence of the postwar, post-punk late 1980s and ’90s. Katy Rodriguez, cofounder of the cult vintage fashion shop Resurrection, is among those who felt a connection to Margiela’s clothing in the subliminal challenges it posed to the time’s beauty norms.
“Growing up in San Francisco and coming out of the end of punk rock, not wanting to be objectified, not wanting to be seen as a sexual object, not wanting your value to be just because you’re pretty — all those clothes played into all of that,” she says. “It really was a reflection of the kind of world the young people I knew at the time wanted to live in.”
John Galliano was named creative director at the house in 2014 and it rebranded as Maison Margiela in 2015.
Find vintage Maison Martin Margiela boots, evening dresses, jackets and more on 1stDibs.
F/W 1994 Artisanal Sleeveless Knit Vest
By Maison Martin Margiela
Located in Amsterdam, NH
Maison Martin Margiela F/W 1994 sleeveless knit vest featuring a textured knit and clean silhouette. Brand: Maison Martin Margiela Period: 90s Material: Wool Size: S Origin: Made i...
MAISON MARGIELA black wool blend oval grommet pocket vest IT46 S
By MM6 Maison Margiela, Maison Martin Margiela
Located in Hong Kong, NT
MAISON MARGIELA black wool blend oval grommet pocket vest IT46 S Reference: PRWU/A00052 Brand: Maison Margiela Designer: Martin Margiela Material: Wood, Blend Color: Black Pattern: S...
Maison Martin Margiela Black Vest
By Maison Martin Margiela
Located in Laguna Beach, CA
This black vest from Maison Martin Margiela is a soft cotton flannel. Easy fastening with a snap front and buckle and strap in back to personalize the fit.
Martin Margiela deconstructed neckline cardigan
By Maison Martin Margiela
Located in New York, NY
Martin Margiela black cardigan has a deconstructed neckline. The front measures 14", back is 22". Neck-to-cuff measures 28", underarm circumference measures 32", underarm-to...
Yohji Yamamoto, wool vest with extra high collar.
By Yohji Yamamoto
Located in AMSTERDAM, NL
Yohji Yamamoto, wool vest with extra high collar. This piece is in good condition. Features two mini pockets on the front. • CONDITION: good condition • SIZE: M • MEASUREMENTS: le...
F/W 2001 Artisanal Trompe L'oeil Vest
By Maison Martin Margiela
Located in Amsterdam, NH
Maison Martin Margiela F/W 2001 Artisanal trompe l’oeil vest in a sleeveless design.
WALTER VAN BEIRENDONCK 2022 Size L Black Superkid Mohair Sweater Vest
By Walter Van Beirendonck
Located in San Francisco, CA
WALTER VAN BEIRENDONCK 2022 sweater vest in a black superkid mohair knit featuring an oversized style, cable knit design with beige thread details, and V-neck. Made in Belgium.Excell...
Artisanal Martin Margiela Deconstructed Knit Snap Tie Convertible Top c1990
By Maison Martin Margiela
Located in Chicago, IL
With Belgian former fashion designer Martin Margiela's original blank white textural cotton corner-sewn label from the early 1990s visible above the structural hole in the center of the circular knit, this openwork yarn top that is clearly a one-of-a-kind "Line 0" Artisanal garment by Maison Martin Margiela is crocheted from a brown soft animal-hair blend into a see-through changeante pattern recalling a collapsed spiderweb. A prominent European dealer sold a similarly designed but longer deconstructed openwork mohair-blend grey cape that also features a circular knit hole. Its remaining additional tag indicates that it was produced by Margielas' longtime Italian knitter Miss Deanna for the Autumn-Hiver 1993-1994 collection. Further, we have found similar one-of-a-kind Margiela openwork-knit and unraveled pieces, as well as one with oversized snaps like the fasteners on our top, dating back to his 1992 collection. Suggesting that our listing could have been from an even earlier collection, Antwerp fashion museum MoMu featured a pale deconstructed mohair knit sweater dating from 1990 in its major Martin Margiela 20-year retrospective (see our snapshot), which was an exhibition produced in collaboration with the designer during his final year at the house in 2008. Based on other Margiela couture pieces with more than one remaining identification tag, the design of our cardigan without a remaining text tag began as a vintage top collected by Martin Margiela to upcycle or reproduce, and/or it was made-to-order by Miss Deanna before he finished it to some degree with his Paris-based team. Our knit fastens with pompon-tipped yarn ties, along with two signature silver oversized-snap buttons, which most noticeably appeared on Margiela tops in 1994 for a collection that was inspired by toy-doll wardrobes and included human-sized reproductions of actual miniatures. For price comparison, two other Margiela 1990s...
$1,429Sale Price|20% Off
Size: FR 38 - IT 42 - M
Martin Margiela A/W 1998 Cotton Grey Zipped Giant Turtleneck Sweater
By Maison Martin Margiela
Located in Caserta, IT
- Designed by Martin Margiela - Fall Winter 1998 Collection - Grey Cotton Giant Turtleneck - Double zip on the same line - Striped surface - Giant neckline - Made in Italy - Very goo...
Maison Margiela, Cardigan with silver zippers
By MM6 Maison Margiela
Located in AMSTERDAM, NL
Maison Margiela, Cardigan with silver zippers. The item is in very good condition.
Loro Piana Treccia Mezzocollo Sweater - '10s
By Loro Piana
Located in Milano, Lombardia
Crafted in Italy from a mélange of cashmere in grey, this sweater features braided texture. Known for the remarkable comfort and warmth, this classic sweater from Loro Piana is perfe...
Alexander Wang Highneck Sweater - '10s
By Alexander Wang
Located in Milano, Lombardia
This Alexander Wang Highneck Sweater is the perfect addition to your wardrobe. Made of soft merino wool, it features a unique round cut-out on the back, adding a touch of edge to the...
Le Sentier Double-Breasted Vest - '00s
Located in Milano, Lombardia
This vintage Le Sentier vest, crafted with luxe black leather and wool, features a double-breasted front and lapels. 4 decorative buttons provide a subtle, classic finish. Total l...
Jil Sander V-neck Sweater - '10s
By Jil Sander
Located in Milano, Lombardia
Crafted from a lightweight blend of cashmere and silk, the Jil Sander V-neck Sweater is both luxuriously soft and effortlessly chic. The fitted silhouette and timeless navy blue colo...
Yohji Yamamoto Wool Sweater - '00s
By Yohji Yamamoto
Located in Milano, Lombardia
This Yohji Yamamoto Wool Sweater features a high neck design and raglan sleeves for an effortless look. Made of 100% wool in black, it provides both warmth and style. The back zipper...
Jil Sander Wool Top - '10s
By Jil Sander
Located in Milano, Lombardia
Jil Sander wool t-shirt top from Fall 2013 in a sleek navy and black design, featuring a round neckline, refined front stitching, and a modern, minimalist silhouette. Remarks: The s...
