works of Martin Margiela, and the art they represent, or the fusion of fashion and fine art

 works of Martin Margiela, and the art they represent, or the fusion of fashion and fine art

Martin Margiela was born on the 9th of April 1957 in Belgium. He is a fashion designer, founder of a fashion house based in France named after his name Maison Margiela. Martin Margiela pursued art and graduated from the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in the year 1979 at the age of 22 years-old. His graduation was a year before the Avant-garde fashion communal with the Antwerp Six. Immediately after graduation, he moved to Paris to kick off life with his new career. In Paris, Margiela worked as a freelance designer. He worked as a freelance designer for five years. He left the job to seek another. Between the year 1985 and 1987, a period of 2 years, Margiela worked for Jean Paul Gaultier, before showcasing his initial clothing under his very own label, Maison Margiela. At first, his label, Maison Margiela, was a business partnership he had started with Jenny Meirens in the year 1989. Between the year 1997 and 2003, Martin Margiela was the director for the creativity of the Hermes women’s line. In 2010, Martin Margiela was chosen as the Guest member of the Chambre Syndicate de la Haute Couture. Throughout Margiela’s career, he has kept a low profile professionally. He has avoided giving interviews and stays at the backstage whenever his show ends. His face is not even clearly known; this shows how Martin Margiela is a private man. In his whole career, only one photo of Martin is known to exist. The picture is said to be taken in 1997. This piece discusses the works of Martin Margiela, and the art they represent, or the fusion of fashion and fine art.

1. Porcelain Waistcloth, A/W89

Since the start of Martin Margiela’s line, Artisinal, the main focus has been on the bizarre attraction of the materials found. In the porcelain waistcloth, a design from the A/W89 collection, Margiela’s longing for destruction ca be easily noted. The word that has defined Martin Mariela’s career is “la mode Destroy.” This is a French word that politely refers to “deconstruction.” From destruction, as Martin Margiela would deem it, he came up with the wonderful porcelain with a new form. Mariela crafted the porcelain waistcloth with his own hands with his art and made the porcelain material regarded as waste back to the gold status. Due to the porcelain waistcloth, it can be seen how Margiela has the craftsmanship of an artist whose work amazes many despite the material that he uses to create his fashion. The porcelain waistcloth is a fusion of fine art and fashion.

2. Graffitied Tabi Boots, 1991

The Tabi boot is omnipresent in the fashion industry since it is astonishing at how they once had almost revolutionized the world. The Tabi boots were initially shown in the year 1988. The boot was among his first collection. The cloven-toed boot has become the symbol of Martin Margiela’s work since the design gave the Japanese Tabi sock with an almost similar design and the same name a rebirth. In the first show, Margiela pained her models in red paint that would later leave footprints on the runway. His idea was for the audience to notice the hoove like the structure of the Tabi boot as it left imprints on the runway. He stated that he just wanted to repurpose the style of the Japanese tradition of the Tabi sock, but as a shoe. Martin noted that in the past there was no budget to come up with a new form and that is why he had tom continue with the Tabi style by the creation of the Grafitted Tabi Boots. The Graffitied Tabi Boots are a fusion of fine art and fashion.

3. Flat Sleeveless Jacket, S/S98

Mariela’s work was more of a technique of making clothes, a motivation that he has always had since a tender age, to make. He was a master with his tailoring. He took a normal suit, pulled the suit apart, and, made it again by stitching the suit back part by part. He loved to remake and stitch from the inside out, a technique that is hard to master. This shows how martin Mariela was a master and an artist in whatever he did with the material. Mariela wanted to make something that has no heavy shoulders that were rejected in the 1980s. Mariela wanted something streamlined that was comfortable to wear and as fashion as well. This was just fashion and the way he made the sleeveless jacket was merely art. The image below is the flat sleeveless jacket, S/S98 played down by proportions, borrowed from the inspiration from paper patterns of the last collection meant to form “flat” tailoring, and lastly pressed with an iron to look good.

4. Wig Coat and Wig, the 20th Birthday Show, 2019

In the Birthday Show in 2009, Martin Margiela offered one of his greatest hits. Martin Margiela is known to be a fan of wigs since the show in 2005. But on that day, he unveiled the wig coat and wig that are matching, he went overboard, and people liked it. The models had their hair cover their faces, with some having big afros. To accompany this splendid look, the models had on their wig jackets. In December 2009, Margiela’s name and the brand were left sung after the show. Today, the 20th Birthday Show is now perceived as Margiela’s swansong, a lasting memory that will always linger in the hearts and minds of many. This just showcased his fusion of fine art and fashion.

To wrap up, Martin Margiela can be viewed as a fine artist and a fashion enthusiast. All his creations are well thought of and created in a professional manner that captures the eyes, heart, and mind of most people. His sense has always motivated his sense of fashion in art. Mariela has been able to create what he has created since he has passion and desire in the fashion industry, a thing he has always wanted to do since college. As humble as he is, he still creates masterpiece clothes. This is the character everyone should possess, humility with a sense of humour.