‘Martin Margiela tilts his clothes’ SS 2005 Interview in SO-En magazine

The venue, the grand hall of La Villette in the 19th arrondissement, was divided into several booths, and the floor was covered with cardboard. Along with the sound of cars passing by, one can hear the sound of stiletto heels piercing the cardboard on the floor. The models are wearing dresses that look like they were worn incorrectly due to an accident.

Martin Margiela's new experiment also reflects the form of couture.

What image of women did you want to express through this collection?

Margiela : There is no specific image of a woman, but many "general" images of women. It is more about spirit, attitude, and independence than any individual or personality.

What do the bright colors you showed in the shiny materials symbolize?

Margiela : It’s a variety of random colors found in vintage clothing. This idea was inspired by the simple gesture of tilting a garment at 90 or 45 degrees to the body. This changes the form of the garment significantly, but not so much the structure. Although these clothes are newly made, I wanted to recreate in some way clothing from various eras that already existed, so I used the bright colors of dresses, shirts, and skirts from each period.

Margiela's nude colors seem to have more depth than neutrality, what are your thoughts on nude colors ?

Margiela : They reflect the surface of (the wearer's) being. It is the surface color of the essence of who we are that contains, supports, and nurtures our spirit.

This time you presented stiletto shoes instead of Tabi shoes. Has your image of a woman changed significantly?

Margiela : I don't think a woman can be defined by her shoes. This season, we used a series of stiletto heels in our collection. These shoes were loved so much that they have been worn over and over again which makes them look like they're almost broken, but they're actually new shoes. There have been seasons in the past when we did not make Tabi shoes (most recently in the spring/summer of 2003). We have been making Tabi shoes since their inception in 1989 and will continue to do so, but we hope to offer more styles in the future. We'll let you know more about this soon... stay tuned!

What is the message of clothing worn through the body along the sideline of the dress?

Margiela : It is a challenge for me as a designer to question the wearability of clothes, to make clothes that can be worn while preserving the original structural elements through the simple gesture of leaning the clothes against the body.

What does white mean to Margiela?

Margiela : Strength, absence, presence, neutrality, triggering, transience, purity, dyeability, eternity, passage of time, possibility.

What does black mean to Margiela?

Margiela : Strength, absence, presence, subjectivity, triggering, steadfastness, nuance, eternity.

Why don't you change the collection invitation?

Margiela : It's like the stationery at home where letters are always sent on the same notepaper ! I will decide to change it when I want to convey something or have a good reason to do so.

You used to work for Hermes. Is there any brand other than your own that you would like to design for?

Margiela : Maison Martin Margiela. The Maison is constantly developing, growing, and evolving, so we are constantly encountering new situations and often feeling changes. We recently moved to a new office. It's a wonderful old school building in Paris, but it just makes me feel like I'm working in a different place.

What did you see for the first time after working with Hermès?

Margiela : This was a great attempt to juggle our own and Hermès' styles at the same time for a distinct audience : Hermès' clientele which is different from our Maison's clientele. I was able to experience the wonders of working under reliable concepts of quality and universality.

Who do you respect when making clothes?

Margiela : People who challenge their own talents and challenge the perception of clothing as defined by others. People who express their creative vision through their clothes.

How do you see your personal impact on the world?

Margiela : With humility and respect.

What does it mean to continue creating in Paris?

Margiela : Home is where the heart is. (said in English)

you can purchase the original issue here

(This interview was first published in Japanese in So-En magazine (February 2005), and translated for the first time in English by the Archaism studio team.)