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Tha Maison MArtin MArgella reference Guide

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Believe it or not we have reached our 200th post here at Third Looks. A heartfelt thank you goes out to everyone who has contributed, supported or simply enjoyed this blog since it’s humble beginnings over a year ago. I couldn’t think of a better way to commemorate this milestone than presenting this comprehensive Maison Martin Margiela Reference Guide. A friend of mine is a Margiela devotee and has spent ample time and effort putting together this hefty reference guide on all things Maison Martin Margiela.
The Maison Martin Margiela Reference Guide
Information about Martin Margiela, and Maison Martin Margiela, is everywhere, but a proper reference does not exist.  With respect to Martin Margiela’s clear wishes to remain anonymous, and his continued silence after his retirement, I have omitted most personal information about him.  This is a long read meant as a reference, not an article.  If you are coming in totally blind, feel free to read the following short articles to get oriented:
Background – A summary from a Margiela expert.
Background – Vogue UK, a brief timeline.
Culture/Marketing – Cult of Invisibility Part 1 and Part 2.
Click through the jump for the Reference Guide

Table of Contents

Current Status

Owner: Only the Brave (Holding company of Renzo Rosso, Diesel)
Designer, Ready to Wear: MMM Design Team
Designer. Couture/“Artisanal”: Matthieu Blazy1
Namesake: Retired, 2009
Official Sites

Timeline


Photo Credit: Moss Online
1977-1979/80: Attends and graduates from Royal Academy of Fine Arts Antwerp.  Graduation date disputed.
1984-1987: Serves as Design Assistant for Jean Paul Gaultier (Book)
1988: Establishes Maison Martin Margiela with Belgian retailer Jenny Meirens under Neuf SAS (similar to an American LLC) and shows SS 1989 in Paris.  At this time it is only womenswear.  Line 1 established.
1989: Martin Margiela awarded the first ever ANDAM Award.
1994: Replica line officially made a part of Line 1; is included in Line 10 when it is established.  Eventually becomes a part of Lines 4 and 14 (date unknown).
1994: Charity AIDS t-shirt introduced for FW 1994.  Still in production. [Ed.the post originally stated 2004. We regret the error]
1997, May: The current label, with numbers 0-23 on white cloth, is introduced.  Previously, only a plain white, unmarked label was used.
1997, Oct: Line 6 – women’s diffusion line.
1997-2003: Martin Margiela serves as Artistic Director of Hermes women’s collections. Appointed in Apr. 1997 with his first show in FW 1998.2
1998, Mar: Line 22 – a collection of shoes for women
1998, Oct: Line 10 – the men’s equivalent of Line 1, introduced for SS 1999
1998, Oct: Line 13 – objects and publications.
1999, Apr: Line 15 – collaboration line with mail order company 3 Suisses, short lived.
2002, Jul: MMM/Neuf SAS sells its majority stake to Only the Brave, an Italian holding company owned by Diesel founder/President Renzo Rosso.
2003, Oct: Line 4 – a wardrobe for women, introduced for SS 2004
2004, Jun: Line 6, women’s diffusion, rebranded to mm6.
2004, Jul: Line 14 – a wardrobe for men, introduced for SS 2005
2005, Jan: Line 11 – a collection of accessories for women and men.
2005, Jan: Line 22 – a collection of shoes for women and men officially introduced for FW 2005/6.  Previously, small selections of footwear were released with Lines 1 and 10.
2006, Jan: MMM becomes a Correspondent Member of the Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture.
2006, May: MMM presents its Haute Couture show during SS 2006, using “Artisanal” Line 0 pieces.
2007, Oct: Line 8 – eyewear collection.
2008: 20th Anniversary celebrations for MMM take place.
2008: Sartorial Collection, a capsule collection in Line 14, introduced for FW 2008/9.
2008, Mar: Line 1 separated from “Défilé (runway)” and given separate tags.
2008, Jul: Line 12 – a collection of fine jewelry.
2009, Oct 3: Renzo Rosso states that Martin Margiela “has not been there for a long time.”
2009, Dec 9: MMM officially confirms that Martin Margiela left MMM and the current design team would take over artistic direction rather than hiring a new head designer.
2010, Jan: Line 3 – fragrances, with unisex Fragrance “Untitled”.
2010, Oct: E-Boutique Launches3
2012, Jun 12: H&M x MMM confirmed
2012, Nov 19: H&M x MMM launches
*Unless otherwise noted, all information was obtained from the official Margiela timeline and glossary available on the official Maison Martin Margiela Facebook and the 20th Anniversary Monograph.4

Lines

Photo Credit: MMM Official Facebook
0: “Artisanal” collection for women & men [Est 1988].  “Its concept was-and still is-to reconstruct new garments by using other garments or accessories, used or new… It [is] all about giving a new life to old and abandoned pieces, so they could be worn again in a different way.”1 “Artisanal” pieces exemplify the MMM legacy of deconstruction, referencing fashion history, and the documenting the passage of time.  Garments are given an “explanation card” which lists Collection, Reference (with ref. number and brief title), Description, Colours, Number Created (amount), Sizes, and Hours Spent Over Its Realisation.2  Men’s “Artisanal” items are marked with the 0 and 10 lines circled3, and written as “0 10”, “0-10”, “0/10”, etc.   After MMM became a Correspondent Member of the Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture in Jan 2006, MMM showed its first haute couture collection in May 2006 using the “Artisanal” Line, which it continues to do.  See also, Replica Line.  [For more information on the “Artisanal” Line and the themes it touches upon, see the section “Conceptual Hallmarks and Themes” below.]
” “: Défilé (Runway, or, literally “show”) collection for women [Est. 2008, March].  “The original and primary collection of women’s ready-to-wear by Maison Martin Margiela debuted for SS 1989.  This collection has traditionally been the subject of the Maison’s fashion shows and exhibitions.”  Given a plain white label free of any markings, the line was “created” by being separated from Line 1 when they had originally been two concepts under one Line.  Essentially, Défilé was created to sell only runway, and Line 1 to sell more unusual or avant ready to wear retail pieces.
1: The collection for women [Est. 1988].  “ ‘1’ is the collection in which Maison Martin Margiela expresses its love for concept, design and process, for creativity and the avant-garde.”   The first commercially released as Line 1 and the collection was tagged with a plain white label free of any markings, which continued until 2008.  It was announced in March 2008 that commercial ready to wear items would be marked with the normal label featuring numbers 0-23 and the “1” circled.   Défilé  (show) pieces took the plain white label.
3: Fragrance, in association with L’Oreal’s Luxury Products Division [Mar 2008 announced / Jan 2010 released].
4: A wardrobe for women.  Essentially women’s wardrobe basics, though explained as “a personal approach to dress, fixed on taste rather than on a seasonal approach to design, or a particular age group.”  [Oct. 2003 for SS 2004].
6 / mm6: Women’s diffusion line including clothes, shoes, and accessories. [Est. Oct 1997], [Rebranded mm6 in Jun 2004].
8: Eyewear collection [Est. Oct 2007 for SS 2008].
10: The collection for men, equivalent of women’s Line 1 [Est. Oct 1998 for SS 1999].
11: A collection of accessories for women & men; “bags, belts, small leather goods and a few items of jewelry.” [Jan 2005].
12: Fine jewelry collection made in collaboration with the Damiani group [Jul 2008].
13: Objects & publications [Oct 1998].
14: A wardrobe for men, essentially men’s yearly basics, equivalent of Line 4 [Est. Jul 2004 for SS 2005].
15: Mail order [Est. April 1999].  A partnership with mail order company 3 Suisses in which garments were sold through their catalogue in France and Benelux.4, 5, 6
22: A collection of shoes for women and men [FW 2005/6].  “[T]he Maison has had a small seasonal selection of women’s and men’s shoes as part of Line 1 and Line 10.  AW 2005-06 was the first time the shoes, for men and women, were all grouped within one collection, with its own structure and development plan.”  [Women’s – Mar. 1998], [Men’s – Jan. 2005].
Sartorial: a capsule collection part of Line 14, identifiable with gold embroidered cursive “Maison Martin Margiela” in the lining by the jacket pocket [FW 2008/9].
Replica: “Every season since 1994, Maison Martin Margiela has introduced a capsule collection within its men’s and women’s lines,^ including around thirty pieces of garments and accessories, called ‘Replica’.”  “These are existing garments, accessories and other articles that Maison Martin Margiela… prefers that they remain exactly as they were found.  They are lavishly reproduced and carry a second label explaining their origin, function and period.  The role of Maison Martin Margiela as designers is to ensure that the choice of fabric and the construction of these articles resemble the original as closely as possible.” “The ‘Replica’ concept derives from the notion of timelessness, and relies on the principle that these pieces have already proven the test of time. The idea was to design each garment so that they are as relevant for today as they will be tomorrow.”
^ [Ed. The Monograph specifies that “each season” since 1994, Lines 4 and 14 have contained Replica pieces.  The editor assumes that Replica pieces were first included in Lines 1 and 10 prior to the creation of Lines 4 and 14, which came four and six years, respectively, after Lines 4 and 14]
AIDS T-Shirt: “Created to generate funds for the French charity AIDES… changes in the color of fabric and typeface occur every season.”  The text of each shirt reads, “There is more action to be done to fight AIDS than to wear this T-shirt but it’s a good start.” [Est. FW 1994] [Ed.the post originally stated 2004. We regret the error]
*Unless otherwise noted, all information was obtained from the official Margiela timeline and glossary available on the official Maison Martin Margiela Facebook and the 20th Anniversary Monograph.7

School and Career Prior to the Maison

Photo Credit: MMM Official Facebook
Martin Margiela graduated from the Royal Academy of Fine Arts Antwerp Fashion Department.  His graduation date is disputed.  The MMM 20th Anniversary Monograph timeline and the company Facebook profile state 1979.  However, an article in which the author claims she referenced Antwerp ModeMuseum (MoMu) documents on the designer puts his graduation at 1980.1  Regardless, years after his departure, Margiela was still remembered at the school.  A 1993 article noted that “[h]is cutting technique is legendary among his teachers.”2
He is strongly associated with the Antwerp Six, a group of six Belgian designers who graduated from the Royal Academy of Fine Arts Antwerp in the early 1980’s.  They are Dries van Noten, Ann Demeulemeester, Walter Van Beirendonck, Dirk Van Saene, Dirk Bikkembergs, and Marina Yee.  In 1988, the Six joined together, rented a large truck, and held an impromptu presentation at London Fashion Week3, 4 (and because nothing can be simple, the official website of Six member Walter Van Beirendonck indicates it occurred in 1987.5)  However, Margiela graduated ahead of the Six and did not participate in the 1988 show.  Rather, his association is due to so many Belgian designers emerging onto the fashion scene simultaneously, exerting great influence, and consequently establishing Antwerp with a worldwide fashion identity.6
The MoMu show centered around the Antwerp 6 was named “6+ Antwerp Fashion.”  The “+” recognized that many people were involved in putting Belgian design in the spotlight, but specifically Margiela “because he is often bracketed together with ‘The Six.’”7  Margiela and the Six cast a long shadow.  During a 1993 fashion department student assessment,* the jury was considering whether to grant Highest Honors to a student.  Jean Paul Gaultier, serving on that year’s jury stated, “‘What is this high honors… Look, Martin never had it. Dries [van Noten] never had it. Ann [Demeulemeester] never had it. Should he have what they never had?’… [N]one of the students was granted Highest Honors.”8
* Likely the end of year Royal Academy of Fine Arts Antwerp Fashion Dept. graduation show.9,10
From 1984-1987, he served as a design assistant for Gaultier.  Gaultier initially rebuffed Margiela, recalling that he told Margiela “I told you how much I appreciated your work.  But since I was doing all my collections myself, I didn’t need an assistant of your caliber; it was not necessary for you to learn what you already knew; you had what it took to be number one and you could already have had fashion shows in Paris.”11
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