Martin Margiela

A stunning overview of 20 years of fashion designs by Martin Margiela.

In conjunction with a major exhibition, this volume highlights the years during which the celebrated designer Martin Margiela attained the status of one of the most important designers of our time. As part of the Antwerp Six, who transformed the face of contemporary fashion, Margiela created 41 fashion shows between 1989 and 2009 that promoted a unique vision of understated luxury – monochromatic, oversized volumes, and his signature constructed and deconstructed cuts – with a credo of comfort, timelessness, sensuality, and authenticity.

Famous for his reclusiveness, Margiela never showed his face, not even at his own shows, allowing the work to stand on its own, free from any association with celebrity or self-promotion. This volume documents these remarkable fashion shows in detail: the extraordinary spaces, the music, the designer's intentions, and the iconic pieces. Over the years, recurring motifs and inspirations become clearer, including anonymity, wisdom, the past and what came before, as well as distraction. The book reveals the sensitive, poetic, and incredibly innovative universe of this most influential contemporary fashion designer.