is what you're looking at art or fashion?

the exhibition hosts a selection of pieces from the maison martin margiela artisanal collection,the selections have been picked from works expanding through the past to the present maison’s creations. there is a definite common thread of the margiela signature - these garments and dresses are made of unusual materials such as porcelaine, playing cards, gaffer tape, handgloves, hats, etc.

dress made of hair combs

masterpieces of bricolage

the materials used to make the collection are a vast range of inventive finds. garments and objects is given a second life. by respecting and maintaining the traces of the passage of time and use, they remain one of the keystones of the maison’s artistic expression. the use of white, with all its different shades, tones and texture, as universal colour and the decorative signature have also always characterized maison martin margiela.

margiela is an excellent tailor who really knows how to sew, and his clothes, although undeniably strange, are beautifully (de)constructed each garment is reworked entirely by hand at the
maison’s atelier in paris. martin margiela says that the creative approach is born from a poetic conception of imperfections - the extremes and the changes of every day life. this conceptual design and critical importance does not necessarily send the cash registers ringing, gallerie owner carla sozzani owns milan’s most interesting fashion store ‘corso como 10’. she says, ‘margiela's work has never been fashionable in the sense of trendy. his work can be difficult and take years, but some summer seasons we reordered four times’.

ski vest made from old gloves

martin margiela

was born in louvain in belgium in 1957. he is a graduate of the royal academy of fine arts
in antwerp.between 1985 and 1987 margiela worked for jean paul gaultier, before showing his first collection under his own label ‘maison martin margiela’ in 1988. since its beginnings, maison martin margiela has accompanied its prêt-à-porter collection with garments, accessories and objects defined by the name ‘artisanal’. martin margiela is closely associated with the deconstructionist fashion movement of the 1980s. the idea of cutting up clothes goes back to the ripped t-shirts of the punks and the subsequent street style of slicing jeans with razor blades. but margiela’s deconstruction goes much further. today there are eleven maison martin margiela shops around the world.

shirt made from old leather gloves

http://www.martinmargiela.com

men's vest made of playing cards