Maison Martin Margiela 20 The Exhibition was a celebration of 20 years of Maison Martin Margiela, curated by the Antwerp Fashion Museum, MoMu. The exhibition itself was first open from December 2008 to August 2009 in Antwerp, where Martin Margiela studied fashion. It would travel to nearby regions like Munich and London afterwards. Visitors of the exhibition were surrounded by Margiela motifs, from Tabi boots to deconstructed garments to white atelier lab coats. Once again, the exhibition is a prime example of the coming together of fashion and art and Martin’s role in it. Garments from the Artisanal collection are displayed one-by-one, as viewers stack on top of each other trying to take a long gaze at the pieces as if they were at the Louvre staring at the Mona Lisa.

Martin’s obsession with anonymity, paint, and the color white is tastefully portrayed in every page of the book that was available for purchase at every 20 The Exhibition. Images of Tabi shoe molds and white-painted Artisanal garments flood the book, as the audience gets an intimate behind-the-scenes look behind the atelier process of Martin and his fashion team. Once again, the fine line between fashion and art is danced on by Martin Margiela and his work. Along with cryptic images, the book features a section dedicated to explaining the circled numbers that Maison Martin Margiela uses in their fashion house branding. Several motifs such as Incognito, Body, Paint, and Tailoring represented small sections within the book. MMM 20 The Exhibition offered yet another bird’s eye view into the mysterious fashion house that one of the most mysterious fashion designers created. Every exhibition and bit of information intentionally publicized by Martin and his team, invoking small amounts of closure and sparking even more curiosity for the audience.

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Writer: Art V.