The design collective at MM6 Maison Margiela wanted to bring its collection alive for spring and show the clothes in action.
It swapped its usual presentation format for a runway show, and in line with its egalitarian approach, the brand invited guests to simply stand around the venue and watch, as the models paraded around the dimly lit Covent Garden warehouse, complete with broken chandeliers, cracked mirrors and graffiti across the walls.
It looked like prom gone wrong: Satin coats, ruffled blouses and sleek maxidresses in a palette of pretty, Belle Époque-inspired purples, pinks and pastel blues were given a more punchy, street attitude by splicing the shoulders, pairing them with fishnet tights, oversize crystal jewels and belts that ironically resembled prom sashes.
The team’s aim was to stay focused on the brand’s core ideas of re-appropriating garments and giving them a new lease of life. Drawing references from garments purchased at Parisian flea markets, they re-created satin bags from the 1900s into voluminous, pleated shift dresses; appliquéd crushed satin vintage slipdresses onto sporty sweatshirts and reworked T-shirts or slips into cross-body bags by turning them upside down.
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Rejecting the need for newness and trend-driven collections, the brand also plans to keep revisiting these ideas and building the MM6 wardrobe by focusing on core pieces — the distressed leather dress, patchwork denim and narrow-shouldered tailoring — with a strong, urban attitude.
As it returns to its original philosophy, the MM6 team also wanted to bring back some of the idealism that has been attached to the brand. So it reworked a slogan from 1994 that reads, “There is more action to be done to fight AIDS than to wear this T-shirt but it’s a good start,” printing it everywhere from T-shirts, to blazers and strings hanging from dresses.