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MAISON MARGIELA FW26: ANONYMITY TAKES OVER  SHANGHAI

The intersection between art and fashion has never been more present than nowadays. There is a proliferation of events from luxury brands overtaking every part of the world during art fairs. From dinners to parties, encounters that become the place to be (as Brenda Weischer always shares it via her podcast, check it out guys, you would thank me later) and places to let network happen between the people that move and define the world. That is why engaging with culture is the aspirational thing to do for every brand, they are even creating their own exhibitions that become the hotspot in specific cities that move culture forward.

Maison Margiela is getting into this habit, after having a founder that has exhibited his artwork after departing from the brand in Lafayette Anticipations as well as in other galleries across the world, via constructing their own momentum. This runway, first one in China for the brand and just after the weekend of Art Basel Hong Kong, that we are about to review marks the beginning of MaisonMargiela/folders, a community driven and shared experience where in preparation for their overtaking of the country, they are sharing with their audience and customers a dropbox with every artistic resource and final images that results from this whole experience. A lesson in categorizing projects and a developing effort to make their past S.W.A.L.K. videos with John Galliano, where we saw the creative team explaining the process of constructing a collection. There is going to be an Artisanal exhibition in Shanghai, an Anonymity of masks exhibition in Beijing; a Tabi exhibition in Chengdu and a Bianchetto experience in Shenzhen. More on that coming soon on an article dedicated to the exhibitions, highlighting this activation coming from a luxury company that is not an A-list one.

After two successful collections by the new creative director, Glenn Martens, the sense of anonymity in the brand feels more present than ever. Masks are back and the desire for craftsmanship has been the buying force for quite some seasons. And I truly admire how the brand restored herself after the iconoclastic moment that was the farewell of the previous creative director. The work of Martens has been always recognized by the curiosity and experimentation infused by utility than was outstanding in his time at Y/Project and it has elevated Diesel from a jean brand to a creative hub and overcome every fashion student moodboard. Coming from a strong debut in the Artisanal FW25 and his interpretation of what the Ready-To-Wear is going to look like for SS26, so it is a smart strategy to present a combination of both product categories with a new concept behind them, to prepare the Chinese public to reap great benefits in stores from now on.

Between containers we have witnessed the latest proposition of the Belgian designer for the brand, an investigation on what can come out of the Parisian flea market culture. A place where rituals and obsessions from the past are still present, where curiosities are ready to be repurposed and made new. After hours tales between these antique environments result in an extreme textile experimentation, an urge to find a new meaning to living dolls of porcelain and destroyed tapestries through Edwardian silhouettes. It raises the question of what are the thrift essentials in a wardrobe and the distortion of the body via impossible draping, refusing to follow the ozempic core that the industry is suffering from recently. There is a study of gender, what is masculine or feminine when you cannot see the face of the model? It is great to see some elevated common references like the hand-applied gold stars in look 23 or the restoration through sequins of some vintage textile finds transformed into garments. For example, the use of porcelain and beeswax is due to the fact that both techniques are Chinese and thanks to the designs brings it to a contemporary space with new meaning.

All together, there is a resourcefulness of unconventional materials that defines the brand’s aesthetic in the present. We need to stop comparing it to the past and start envisioning the future, taking the namesake label that once was antifashion into the luxury market. We just need to embrace the memory of garments and the uniformity of anonymity, just remember Martin is not coming back and the company is in the OTB Group, so they need better results each year (hi capitalism, how are you?). I will shut up now and let you enjoy the description of my favorite look of the show by the communication team of the Maison. Let’s enjoy the show digitally and cross our fingers to be in the next one physically!

LOOK 15: A knit twinset, of cardigan and skirt, that takes on its own life in a fluffy jacquard that’s been intensively brushed. The feminine silhouette is accentuated, and both pieces have been treated and hand-painted to give the effect of a well-loved garment. It’s worn with a painted underskirt, while the metallic bustier, gloves, Tabi Claw boots and mask are moulds created with the same technique as look 13, with a make time of 100 hours. [Mask: a latex bianchetto effect of jewellery in relief, applied to a cotton base]

Words by @alraco43