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MARGINS AND MATERIALITY

Martens reworks Margiela

JUL 17 2025

Glenn Marten’s debut at Maison Margiela Artisanal 2025 revisits the house’s legacy, while adding his own contemporary twist. Drawing inspiration from Flemish architecture, the collection evokes the verticality of gothic facades and the sculptural presence of saintly figures, while incorporating repurposed materials.

Contrasting traditional couture’s emphasis on pristine luxury, Martens replaces brand new fabrics with found materials, like vintage leather, paper, metal, and plastic. Yet through meticulous reconstruction, these humble, mundane elements are elevated into couture-level artistry, reinforcing Margiela’s ethos of deconstruction and reinvention.


Martin Margiela’s original work interrogated the essence of the garment, studying its construction and function to create something new without taking itself too seriously. It was a thoughtful, almost playful approach to fashion design. Martens channels this spirit while making the references to the brand’s past. Corsetry, draping and interesting textures sculpt the silhouette of the body. Face coverings and reconstructed garments continue Margiela’s legacy of anonymity and craft.

Beyond the garments themselves, the show’s set design was a central element. Peeling paper walls evoked tromp l’oeil effects and décollage, engaging directly with Margiela’s heritage of deconstruction. 

Décollage (literally meaning “to unstick”) is an artistic technique that involves cutting, tearing, or removing layers from posters, advertisements, or other surfaces to reveal hidden imagery beneath, creating a fragmented, collage-like effect. It subverts the original context of mass media, turning destruction into a creative process that challenges perception and emphasizes texture, materiality, and the passage of time.

Walls and floors were covered with images of Northern-European Renaissance interiors. Spaces were adorned with photocopied architectural elements, and floors were clad in papier-mâché checkerboards, tiles, and carpets, creating a tactile feel that echoes the collection’s focus on layers of raw materiality. The venue is transformed into a fragmented canvas, where past and present bleed into each other.

The venue is notable for hosting Martin Margiela’s final show in 2009. Once serving as a funeral home, its association with mortality resonated with the collection's exploration of decay and rebirth.













Glenn Martens’ debut demonstrates homage and evolution, translating Margiela’s deconstructive playfulness into a contemporary context. 

The clothes and the set become a meditation on making, seeing, and experiencing fashion today.



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