Martin Margiela retrospective at Palais Galliera, Paris

The Palais Galliera in Paris is hosting a major retrospective of Belgian designer Martin Margiela, titled "Margiela/Galliera, 1989-2009," running until September 2018. The exhibition features one hundred mannequins, videos, and documents tracing the career of the conceptual designer known for his extreme anonymity—no photos, no interviews. A second exhibition, "Margiela, les années Hermès," opens March 22 at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs, covering his tenure at Hermès from 1997 to 2003. Margiela personally oversaw the installation and offered a rare comment: "Designers forget the clothes. They are only interested in images." The show explores his pioneering use of deconstruction, recycled materials, oversized labels, and vintage reproduction. Margiela, formerly an assistant to Jean Paul Gaultier, emerged alongside Rei Kawakubo and Yohji Yamamoto in the 1990s. His anti-celebrity stance extended to models, whom he deliberately obscured. His shows were held in unconventional venues like a former Salvation Army headquarters or an abandoned metro station, with invitations sent via fax or telegram. The exhibition excludes his Hermès work but highlights his influence on brands like Céline, The Verso, Vetements, and Balenciaga (all led by Demna Gvasalia, a former Margiela employee). Margiela sold his company in 2008 at age 49, remarking: "Twenty years, forty shows, hundreds of garments, what remains?"