Glenn Martens’ Artisanal Debut at Maison Margiela
This season has been abundant with equally big debuts at other houses. Jonathan Anderson made his mark at Dior, whilst Michael Rider put forward his opening statement at Celine. Some of the most anticipated womenswear shows of the season were graced with debuts from Louise Trotter and Matthieu Blazy at Bottega Veneta and Chanel, respectively. Glenn Martens confidently made his much-anticipated debut with dark and daring, provocative avant-garde pieces.
Martens’ Background
Parallels can be drawn between Glenn Martens and Martin Margiela, the house’s founder. Both graduated from Antwerp’s Royal Academy for Fine Arts and moved to Paris after graduation, and worked for Jean Paul Gautier, Margiela in 1984 and Martens in 2008. Especially, both designers’ use of upcycling and championing of the unconventional. Martens’ past work at Y/Project and Diesel also shaped his experimental edge, his ability to twist silhouettes and question traditional construction found a natural home at Margiela.
Many of the garments in this collection nodded to Margielaisms; however, the largest call back to Martin Margiela himself was the show’s location. Maison Margiela shows have largely taken place at the house’s stark, white HQ, but Martens ditched the space in favour of Le Centquatre. This former municipal morgue is now a cultural centre in Paris’s 19th arrondissement, where the runway took place that became the home of Martin’s final Margiela show in 2009. Hauntingly, the main hall where Martens showed his collection used to be stacked with coffins, which begs the question whether Martens was paying direct homage or arousing the dead. The choice of venue wasn’t just symbolic; it mirrored the show’s themes of resurrection, decay, and historical layering, forming a physical metaphor for the collection’s emotional texture.
The Runway
Image credit: Jora Zaria
The theatrical collection masterfully blended Margiela’s avant-garde codes with his modern edge. One of Martin Margiela’s most prevalent house codes, embraced by Martens, was the mask. First appearing in the designer’s Spring/Summer 1989 debut collection, the masks were a reflection of Margiela’s desire for anonymity. Refusing interviews and public appearances, the Belgian designer opted to answer as ‘we’ via fax under the collective Margiela atelier. Martens’ take on the mask saw remarkably crafted pieces in sheer organza, appliquéd lace, as well as harsh materials like metal and shattered crystal
Image credit: Maison Margiela
Martens’ take on Margiela’s couture features a new opulence. Inspired by medieval architecture and the Netherlands, garments featured heavy manipulation. The flowing organza gowns featured pleating, cinched, corseted waists sculpting the models’ bodies and stiffening them, as if they had been carved in stone. The contrast between structural rigidity and fragile sheerness underlined a tension between strength and vulnerability, a central motif throughout the show. Yet the sheer garments played into a softness and vulnerability that contrasted with the themes of decay seen in the decor and more gothic looks.
Image credit: Maison Margiela
The collection notes read ‘statuesque forms evoke the (saintly) figures of church façades’ which contrasted the printed Renaissance motifs and embossed leather recalling Flemish wallpaper.
Image credit: Maison Margiela
These look reminiscent of the past, antique wallpapers, faded pieces that had been buried in time. Combined the pieces seemed reminiscent of both the past, present and future.
The debut has set the tone for Martens’ tenure at Maison Margiela. Both restrained and theatrical, referential yet emotionally charged, the collection struck a balance between legacy and reinvention. Industry reactions were quick to praise Martens’ vision, with critics citing the collection as one of the most emotionally resonant of the season.
By Shaz Seka