The ‘J.D. Salinger of Fashion’ opens in Hong Kong
July 12, 2006 | 12:00am
Serious fans of Belgian designer Martin Margiela need look no further when the newest Maison Martin Margiela opens at Hong Kong’s Central end of this month.
To introduce themselves to the neighborhood and residents of Hong Kong, the Paris-based design house mounted a week-long Exposition avant travaux or "Exhibition before Refurbishment" at their chosen address last June 13-20.
Central is now known as Hong Kong’s premier shopping destination with the recent opening of the Louis Vuitton Maison at the Landmark last year. But you can trust Martin Margiela to pass on the flashy modern mall spaces Central has to offer.
He opted instead for a run-down pre-war four-storey building on 18 On Lan Street, across from the D-mop shop which specializes in British labels. Word has it fellow Belgian Ann Demeulemeester will soon open on this quiet backstreet.
On Lan (which literally translates as "tranquil" and "orchid") is not far from the Landmark Mandarin Oriental. Just ask the friendly doormen which way to go. It should be somewhere behind the Bathing Ape store on Queens Road Central.
I was fortunate to have been in Hong Kong during the week of the exhibition, for which Margiela’s most important present and archive pieces were flown in especially from Paris.
Upon entering the building, we were greeted by a local staff dressed in typical white Margiela lab coat. We were given an index card on which we were asked to fill in our names and contact info, so it’s possible that they can trace me for what I did…
The ground floor featured a selection from the Maison’s shoe archives, including the wooden tabi and its modern plastic form. The high-heeled pumps covered with "fragile" tape were vintage Margiela.
On the end of the room was a giant tabi balloon from Japan with an accompanying video of how it was constructed, filmed by Anders Edstrom.
A selection of mismatched pairs of women’s shoes and heel-less pumps was displayed along with the molded men’s shoes and sneakers with dripping paint.
The first floor had pieces from Margiela’s Collection Artisanal (Line O) set on rotating bustforms, strategically placed by the window. This includes "the glove top" and "the wedding dress".
Actual pieces from Collection 1 were pinned onto life-size photographs set on plywood against the wall. (The sight of these was enough to raise my blood pressure in excitement.)
A tiny room housed two old chairs and three TV sets – all painted in white. Guests were encouraged to sit and view past fashion shows mounted by Margiela.
The second floor had menswear shown on life-size cutouts of models wearing white/light color garments from Collection 10. A few pieces from Collections 4 and 14 were also sampled on dummies suspended from the ceiling.
The third/top floor completed the Margiela experience with objects and news clippings representing its shops around the world. Margiela’s résumé was cleverly displayed on a typewritten sheet on an old typewriter.
Margiela was born in Belgium in 1957. Trained at the Royal Academy of Antwerp, he became a freelance stylist upon graduating in 1979. He moved to Paris in the early ‘80s and joined Jean-Paul Gaultier’s team.
In 1988 he went solo and launched his own label. His first collection of artisanal pieces made by reworking existing clothes, fabrics and objects to create new garments, drew mixed reviews from the industry.
In due time he became known as a genius in the fashion world. In 1997 he was hired to design the women’s ready-to-wear line for Hermès, which he left in 2003 to concentrate on his own collection.
His first free-standing shop opened in Tokyo in 2000, followed by other maisons in Japan, Belgium, UK, USA, Taiwan, Italy, Korea.
His latest Maison Martin Margiela in Hong Kong this July marks the opening of his 12th shop.
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