Maison Margiela's Open-Air Exhibition in Shanghai Features Garments Displayed in Worn Containers

Maison Margiela has launched an open-air exhibition titled 'Artisanal: Our Creative Laboratory' in Shanghai, presenting over forty creations from its Artisanal line within worn shipping containers. The event, designed by OMA/AMO, forms the core of the broader MaisonMargiela/folders project, which aims to make the creative process publicly accessible. Many of these pieces, dating from 1989 to the present, have never been exhibited together before. Creative director Glenn Martens is shifting focus from the designer to the creative act itself. The exhibition is part of an itinerant project traveling across Chinese cities, with a final stop in Chengdu featuring the 'Tabi: Collectors Exhibition' until April 13. The initiative represents a key shift in how fashion narrates itself by revealing typically hidden archival and laboratory processes. The choice of Shanghai as the starting point breaks barriers between interior and exterior spaces in fashion presentation.