Maison Martin Margiela

Graduating from Antwerp's Royal Academy
of Fine Arts in the 1980s, Martin Margiela (and his contemporaries in the
Antwerp Six) transformed global fashion with his aggressive restatement of
traditional fashion design and a polemical approach to luxury trends. Working
first with the house of Gaultier, Margiela absorbed the radical design of
Japanese deconstruction, making it wholly his own with the founding of his
own label in 1988. Margiela propounds a singular, enigmatic look, moving
beyond the recognizable tropes of deconstruction--a monochromatic palette,
outsized garments, non-traditional fabrics, exposed seams, or roughly
appliquéd details--to develop a fully considered worldview, one with
elegance, mystery, and menace in equal measure. This book provides an inside
look at the design process from a craftsman who creates pieces prized for
their originality, delicacy, and daring. In the spirit of Margiela's
garments, the book is a work of art in itself, designed exclusively by
Margiela and complete with silver inks, ribbon markers, a variety of lush
paper types, twelve booklets, and an embroidered white-linen cover. This book
provides a window onto the intimate, handmade world of a unique designer.