
Galliano's Margiela Artisanal Is Exactly the Escape We Need
Jul 20, 2020
Fashion week certainly looks different this year. The COVID-19 pandemic has forced brands to give up the usual splashy in-person fashion shows for digital alternatives and in many cases, this has meant anti-climactic brand films that leave rabid fashion followers unsatisfied. On Friday, however, John Galliano's Margiela Artisanal Fall 2020 BTS film showed us that innovative virtual experiences can actually prove better than the runway.
Related | Lochi Stonehouse: A Man of Many Faces
Galliano has an unbelievable team of collaborators from Pat McGrath on makeup to Eugene Souleiman on hair and Nick Knight on imagery. Knight's film captures the many moments leading up to the final showing: from shared screen emails and Zoom calls with the Margiela team to Galliano's in-depth explanation of the collection's elaborate, esoteric inspirations to McGrath and Souleiman (and thanks to this film, us). It all begins with this announcement in the press notes:
Creative director John Galliano detects a desire for transparency: a new consciousness clarified by the illumination of the creative process and the human values it represents.
What follows is an amazing reminder of the months of work and creativity that go into a collection we're accustomed to digesting in 15 minutes. The hour-long project, which was filmed at Margiela's Rue St Maur headquarters and in the Cotswolds, resembles more of a full documentary than compilation bonus footage. With no shortage of inspirations, Galliano delves deeper into his idea of Margiela's brand DNA (ancestral hand-me-downs, dressing in haste, etc.) and enthuses over Gladys Deacon, the Duchess of Marlboro who wound up in an asylum with a ruined face after botched wax injections. The work concludes as more of a traditional (if anything Galliano can be called traditional) fashion film.
The collection itself is inspired by ancient statues — in particular, the dramatic, sensual draping of their sculpted wet clothing. (Because this is couture, Galliano refuses to take the easy way out, showing soaked garments to achieve the look in full.) Elsewhere, influences of the London Blitz nightlife kids and Apache dancers also become apparent, and through it all, the clothes have Galliano's signature "is it falling apart or half-way done" look.
This is fashion with a capital F: it's not wearable, it's not commercial. It's full of fantasy and magic, transporting you to a world you don't even completely understand. And during a pandemic, Galliano's Margiela Artisanal is exactly the kind of escape we need.
Photos courtesy of Maison Margiela
From Your Site Articles
- Maison Margiela Launches Spring 2019 Couture Show in Paris ... ›
- Margiela Says Wear a Cast, but Make It Fashion - PAPER ›
- A Martin Margiela Documentary Reportedly Leaks on Pornhub ... ›
- How Reiner Holzemer Got Margiela to Give His First Interview - PAPER ›
- Nick Knight Remembers Lady Gaga's "Born This Way" - PAPER ›
Related Articles Around the Web
MORE ON PAPER
Film/TV
'Overcompensating' Hits Where It Heals
Story by Joan Summers / Photography by Kenyon Anderson / Styling by Marissa Pelly / Set design by Liz Mydlowski / Makeup by Rommy Najor, Mollie Gloss / Hair by Akihisa Yamaguchi, Sergio Estrada / Grooming by Kennedy Trisler
Story by Joan Summers / Photography by Kenyon Anderson / Styling by Marissa Pelly / Set design by Liz Mydlowski / Makeup by Rommy Najor, Mollie Gloss / Hair by Akihisa Yamaguchi, Sergio Estrada / Grooming by Kennedy Trisler
05 June
Entertainment
The 2025 Tonys: 'Give It Everything Or Die Trying'
Story by Michael Musto / Photography by Timothy Greenfield-Sanders / Jewelry by Alexis Bittar
Story by Michael Musto / Photography by Timothy Greenfield-Sanders / Jewelry by Alexis Bittar
05 June
Film/TV
Coolest Person in the Room: Stephanie Suganami
Story by Andrew Nguyen / Photography by Diego Villagra Motta / Styling by Angelina Cantú / Hair by Stefano Greco / Makeup by STOJ
Story by Andrew Nguyen / Photography by Diego Villagra Motta / Styling by Angelina Cantú / Hair by Stefano Greco / Makeup by STOJ
30 May
Music
Tate McRae, Pop in Motion
Story by Ivan Guzman / Photography by Greg Swales / Styling by Chloe and Chanelle / Makeup by Lilly Keys / Hair by Chad Wood / Nails by Juan Alvear / Props by Lucy Holt / Extras: Faux Real
Story by Ivan Guzman / Photography by Greg Swales / Styling by Chloe and Chanelle / Makeup by Lilly Keys / Hair by Chad Wood / Nails by Juan Alvear / Props by Lucy Holt / Extras: Faux Real
14 May
Music
PinkPantheress Locks In
Story by Erica Campbell / Photography by Reto Schmid / Styling by Max Weinstein / Makeup by Julian Stoller / Hair by Anoushka / Nails by Juan Alvear / Set design by Milena Gorum
Story by Erica Campbell / Photography by Reto Schmid / Styling by Max Weinstein / Makeup by Julian Stoller / Hair by Anoushka / Nails by Juan Alvear / Set design by Milena Gorum
12 May