REFERRING to his pioneering approach as “restorative”, Maison Margiela’s creative director John Galliano introduced the concept of Recicla to showcase his AW20 collection yesterday in Paris. An extension of Martin Margiela’s 1994 Barbie collection, which cleverly combines the French Maison’s early themes of recycling and replica, the concept emphasised the steps taken by Galliano and his team to produce unique designs by means of sustainability and carbon neutrality.
Having previously roamed numerous charity shops and markets to source and slavishly replicate vintage material, the label’s AW20 runway presentation boasted original garments transformed into high-end, ready-to-wear fashion pieces. Maison Margiela is now one of many fashion brands echoing Vivienne Westwood’s vehement mantra to “buy less, choose well and make it last”.
Immersing the audience into a vision of eccentricity, the varied colour palette comprised complementary colours of electric blue and tangerine orange, in addition to softer hues of cornflower blue and pale lime green, generating a concord of vibrancy and innovation.
Fluid cuts and textures contributed an edge of modernism, with juxtaposing elements of dynamically altered retro garments and bourgeois wardrobe classics alluding back to the French label’s Haute Couture roots.
Raw hems, obvious stitching and odd proportions harmonised with boxy suits and meticulous tailoring, with all models wearing the Maison’s iconic Tabi shoes to capture its avant-garde and impulsive spirit.
Concluding that “there are far too many clothes in the world!”, Galliano continues to exert his artistic vision by breaking boundaries and paradigms of the fashion world in the 21st century.
by Cara Jenkins