All of the pieces shown in the Artisanal Collection are made from items, objects, clothing and accessories collected by MMM since its inception in 1988. Reclaimed and reworked by the design team, everything is given a second life with some visually appealing and thought provoking results. Across thirteen looks, vintage garments are reincarnated while unusual materials (unusual to fashion anyway) are reworked into pieces that took between four and ninety-one hours to make. 60s Savile Row jackets are manipulated into blazers where internal structure becomes a feature of the external. Yellow tape is moulded into a stiff, near transparent trench-coat. Socks are turned into pullovers. More striking, luggage handles and car belts are blended with cashmere panels. Duct tape fixes material to the body while the final look, which captivated eyes, had the structure and elements of an oversized shearling jacket but was made from four outdoor rucksacks. All of this is marvellous and stokes the imagination but what does it mean? With the absence of any “message” being hammered home during the show or in the show-notes, one conclusion is that Maison Margiela defines haute couture as a place where ideas both wacky and interesting can be tried. In short, where creativity without boundaries can run free.
Photography: Valerio Mezzanotti / NowFashion.com
