Welcome to the 57th insertion of DEMUR®, an analytical series highlighting the intricacies of the artistic world and the minutiae lying within. In this episode we scope further into Margiela’s white Maison, studying the symbolism and reasoning behind a dismissive, muted colour palette.
Since the inception of Maison Margiela in 1988, white has been synonymous with the artisanal label. Originating in the early days when funding was desolate, founders Martin Margiela and Jenny Meirens were reported to have “collected furniture from all over the place” for use in their respective storefront. Each piece differing in style or colour, they were painted white to instil a sense of conformity, and subsequently dawned a cornerstone in the Maison’s array of illusive traits.
White embodied not only a desaturated tone or aesthetically pleasing demeanour, but also gave way to a distinct anonymity so deeply ingrained in the label’s overarching presence. Martin Margiela always shied from public interviews or photoshoots, and spoke of the Maison as a collective instead of a sole proprietor. Similarly, white embodied a lack of contrast or focal point, and thus ran throughout the brand’s heritage. Staff exclusively wore white lab coats, and most seasons would consist of white garments or extremities of such, like yellow, the hue of an aged white.
Not only did white allow a blank canvas and secured anonymity, it also spoke to the designer’s infatuation with time, age and motif of wear as a design proposition. The deterioration of a garment, often seen in the deconstructive principles applied by Margiela, could be accredited to white as a symbol of passing time, a constant obsession of his. By marking the textiles with signs of inhabitance, the regard of confidentiality becomes askew, much like the conscious tie between the shade and the Maison today.
Ironically, what was first inducted as a characteristic of rebellion, a symbolic interpretation of dismay in the world of haute couture, became cohesive with the namesake as it grew to the scale of these labels. White will continue to push consumers to question and rethink the norms of today, thanks to Maison Margiela.
Comments