John Galliano has left the building.
He exits Maison Margiela at his creative peak, proud, hopeful for the brands future, and content.
Its really the blood that courses through our creative veins and a possible blueprint, he says.
Photographed by Annie Leibovitz,Vogue, October 2018
The list goes on, call it an Artisanalogy.
And now, he says, theyre there, theyre there for lifeas inspiration.
Make it your own, Martin Margiela told Galliano when he took over the house.
“Make it your own,” Martin Margiela told Galliano when he took over the house. Pictured here, the bride wore red in the show’s final look.
Pictured here, the bride wore red in the shows final look.
The first Maison Margiela Artisanal collection was a collection of intent.
It really did tip the balance for me.
Maison Margiela, fall 2015 ready-to-wear
This was when you first saw that walk with a character in mind.
Model Fei Fei Sun wears a Maison Margiela Artisanal dress coat and heels designed by John Galliano.
Its about the magical, unfinished moments that happen during the process of the work.
Model Fei Fei Sun wears a Maison Margiela “Artisanal” dress coat and heels designed by John Galliano.
I think we also called it ripped to reveal.
She finds herself sitting on a park bench with her lover.
He didnt really sew anything; its all coaxed into place with an iron.
Maison Margiela Artisanal, spring 2016 couture
Then we had to catch everything down onto the dress coat.
To transfer that, you had to be like magicians.
And each person it was handed down to would have spontaneously customized it.
Maison Margiela, fall 2016 ready-to-wear
Katy Perry at the 2017 Met Gala.
It was a bit like working with filters on an iPhone.
You grab whatever was lying around and start layering it up, and presto, there you go.
Maison Margiela Artisanal, fall 2016 couture
Some are quite disastrous and some are quite inspiring.
The monster trainers were made with Reebok.
Or a caban thats cut into a coat, or a little bustier dress thats cut into a cape.
Maison Margiela Artisanal, fall 2017 couture
Maison Margiela, spring 2029 ready-to-wear
What had happened was I had started to fit on boys and girls.
Maison Margiela Artisanal, spring 2019 couture
Its like camouflage in a very abstract way.
We just ran with that and took it much, much further.
Katy Perry at the 2017 Met Gala.
Replica was from Martin.
Recicla meant using some charity shop finds and I would cut them and mix them up.
We would replicate the recicla, and honestly you could not tell the difference.
Maison Margiela, spring 2018 ready-to-wear
I wanted to experience the real tango.
Everywhere they took me it was souvenir tango.
All that was taken away from us.
Maison Margiela Artisanal, spring 2018 couture
A closeup of Ivy Getty in her wedding dress.
This was a very grand momentIvy Getty and her bridesmaids.
The dress is made up of all broken mirrors that are reassembled a little bit like stained glass.
Maison Margiela Artisanal, fall 2018 couture
We actually worked with someone who did work in that way, who put stained glass fragments together.
It actually looked very aggressive and sharp, but it wasnt.
It was a fantastic moment, such fun.
Maison Margiela Artisanal, fall 2018 couture
Bella Hadid in a Maison Margiela Artisanal designed by John Galliano dress.
Linings are always hidden, but there are beautiful things that go on there.
Its all part of the thing that drives us to deconstruction.
Maison Margiela, spring 2029 ready-to-wear
I think thats probably where I would have discovered the beauty.
So, of course, you want everyone to know that and see that.
Maison Margiela, fall 2022 couture
This happened just as we were coming out of the pandemic.
Maison Margiela Artisanal, spring 2019 couture
And often they were acting to just a camera in very intimate and challenging scenes.
Then it was mixed and shown simultaneously at the same time above.
It was such a fun way of working, and very Margiela I thoughtthat whole backstaginess.
Maison Margiela Artisanal, spring 2019 couture
Maison Margiela, fall 2023 ready-to-wear
Each time its Count and Hen.
For me, they embody Mr. and Mrs. Margiela.
Their characters are always in the collection in some shape or form.
Maison Margiela, spring 2020 ready-to-wear
Theres even a love child, but were yet to find out who the love child is.
Photographed by Steven Meisel,Vogue, May 2024.
Model and actor Gwendoline Christie walks on water in silk-taffeta-mad, nip-waisted glory.
Maison Margiela Artisanal, Spring 2020 couture
Maison Margiela Artisanal designed by John Galliano throughout.
The blood that courses through our veins, the DNA, its true, it all appears here.
In my life Ive never seen a show so documented.
Maison Margiela, fall 2020 ready-to-wear
I dont know how to describe it, really.
I think they said it went viral, because they can measure those things today, cant they?
After the third of the fourth day, people were still talking about it.
Maison Margiela, spring 2021 ready-to-wear
But then after weeks and months they were still talking.
It was really something quite, quite moving.
Its why we do it.
Maison Margiela, spring 2021 ready-to-wear
Its why we do it.
Zendaya at the 2024 Met Gala.
We worked on Kims dress simultaneously with the collection.
A closeup of Ivy Getty in her wedding dress.
Its not lace although it looks like lace; its tooled metal.
Each piece is dipped in silver and its all mounted like you would a cabochon, like high jewelry.
Kim is a real trooper, she will stand there for hours while one is working.
Bella Hadid in a Maison Margiela Artisanal designed by John Galliano dress.
I mean, I thought I was obsessed.
She takes it to another level, and shes so respectful of the partnership involved.
The first thing I said was, whered you get that from?
Maison Margiela, fall 2022 couture
She owned it, it was hers.
That kind of blew me away.
That was a moment beyond for me.
Maison Margiela, fall 2022 couture
Maison Margiela, fall 2022 couture
Maison Margiela, fall 2023 ready-to-wear
Maison Margiela, fall 2023 ready-to-wear
FROM LEFT: Models Leon Dame, Colette Kanza, Emeline Hoareau, Lulu Tenney, Yilan Hua, and Olga Sherer conjure a long-ago Parisian demimonde. Photographed by Steven Meisel,Vogue, May 2024.
Model and actor Gwendoline Christie walks on water in silk-taffeta-mad, nip-waisted glory. Maison Margiela Artisanal designed by John Galliano throughout.
Zendaya at the 2024 Met Gala.
