The Sunday Supplement | Master Margiela

A mysterious, 70-strong group, they dress in white lab coats and work out of a Paris HQ where everything — chairs, floor, light fittings, tables — exists in whitewashed uniformity. They speak to outsiders only via email and always in the collective “we”, saying things like: “The essence is the team that has been making, is making and will always make what Maison Martin Margiela was, is and will be about.”

This wilfully odd bunch are responsible for one of the world’s most influential fashion brands. Marc Jacobs cites its deconstructed, offbeat chic as one of his biggest influences, alongside the arch avant-gardist Rei Kawakubo. When he was accused of blatantly copying both by the critic Suzy Menkes, Jacobs shot right back: “Anybody who’s aware of what life is in a contemporary world is influenced by those designers.”

The Maison’s mission to subvert modern fashion codes — making evening dresses from lining, stitching shoulder pads on the outside of garments, remaking vintage pieces as new — has earned it a reputation as the thinking woman’s label, but Margiela isn’t about po-faced intellectualism. The clothes are infused with a subversive wit (jackets made from blonde wigs or red Christmas tinsel). There are unsettling pieces too, such as their signature cloven-toe boots, but this experiÂmentalism is tempered by a rich vein of pragmatism. If you want a well-considered knit, a fabulously tailored jacket, or a drapy tee that works so much harder than a basic should, then Margiela is the go-to brand.

The autumn catwalks were full of Margiela tributes. Stella McCartney’s embrace of tailored minimalism and the menswear as women’s wear on the Chloé catwalk owed a debt to the Margiela aesthetic. Ask the Maison collective why the 22-year-old brand, which has a retrospective in London next month, is so influential, and they say: “We do not like to define our work, and leave that to you.” The culture of anonymity, scrupulously maintained in a Facebook world, stems from the label’s Belgian namesake and founder, Martin Margiela. Fashion’s most elusive figure, he refused to be photographed or give interviews, and left the label last December amid speculation of a rift with Renzo Rosso (the charismatic owner of Diesel bought Margiela in 2002).

The loss might have sent other labels into a tailspin, but this house is not built on the cult of personality. “The team has always been centrefold in everything the Maison has expressed,” says the collective. “Our intentions are intact and that is what keeps us genuine.” They sound about as emotional about Margiela’s departure as bees in a hive, but there is more to the label than insect-like obedience. For all their unconventional appeal, the clothes are remarkably wearable and have real staying power. As the team says: “You know you’re a Margiela woman when you forget you are wearing it and you feel good in it.”

Maison Martin Margiela “20”: The Exhibition runs June 3-Sept 5 at Somerset House, WC2. Tickets £6; somersethouse.org.uk

via The Sunday Times