COUTURE BETWEEN MEANING AND MARKET: MARGIELA ACCORDING TO MARTENS

In a system dominated by marketing and AI, fashion loses its couturiers and forgets its clients. Alessandro Turci speaking

“Glenn Martens ‘wins’ couture. His debut at Maison Margiela balances heritage and sacredness,” headlines Pambianco right after the Haute Couture show at Paris Fashion Week. But… It’s a collection split in two: one rigid, one fluid (very Jean Paul Gaultier!).

A good student’s exercise, with no emotion. The tension is that of someone determined to succeed at any cost, and therefore reuses what has already been seen at Diesel and JPG COUTURE (one of the more convincing interpretations).

Let’s also forget the well-formed personality that grew at Y/Project. Here, the obsessive and intellectual minimalism of Martin Margiela gives way to the effect of a recreated, yet unwearable, textile. Let’s also remember that in the ‘90s, three names could be found in every store in the world: Martin Margiela, Helmut Lang, and Carol Christian Poell — three true creators, three couturiers, three commercial visions. Of those personalities, of that approach, nothing remains. Anyone who was truly attentive to fashion wouldn’t miss the chance to own one or all three.

Now, we’re witnessing a noisy buzz around collections that are useless, if not outright anachronistic, especially far removed from the spirit of the times. Couture is making a strong comeback, marking a clear separation from prêt-à-porter, which has now become too expensive to produce at scale.

In every sector, exclusivity is being sought — but not found — once again, and it succumbs to the globalisation of brands focused on double-digit growth. Communication, marketing, experience, and lastly the “economy of intentions” — a diabolical tool in the hands of AI used to shape and recreate our desires — mark the definitive imminent crash, as Demna Gvasalia called it during the iconic 2023 Balenciaga Resort Collection presented on Wall Street.

Like a lost dream, the words of Monsieur Yves Saint Laurent still echo, when, interviewed in his atelier, he expressed amazement that the couture collections of his younger “colleagues” were made only for image, and not at all for sale: “I could never imagine creating a collection that doesn’t appeal to my clients. Everything — I have to sell everything!”

Alessandro Turci speaking