By Giulia Piceni. Cover image courtesy of Maison Margiela.
Maison Margiela Artisanal SS24 was undoubtedly the most significant show of the year. With its cinematic flair, it revived the grand 90s fashion that once captivated Millennials while introducing dreamlike atmospheres to younger generations. Cinema, photography, art, and fashion converged into a single, cohesive artistic expression aimed at redefining these ethereal worlds.
Galliano’s Vision: A Nocturnal Tale on the Banks of the Seine
On the misty banks of the Seine, Brassai’s bleak portrayal of marginal characters intertwined with high society fashion, crafting a nocturnal tale we’ve all grown obsessed with. The documentary film Nighthawk (2024), produced by the fashion house itself, masterfully depicted the painful yet euphoric experience of wearing a corset, inspired by wasp-waisted icon Ethel Granger, and the sweat of a night-time escape mingling with the river’s foul air. Conceived by Creative Director John Galliano and directed by Sasha Kasiuha, the documentary is a journey into the successful Spring-Summer 2024 Artisanal couture show.
The Nighthawk Documentary: Unveiling the Creative Process Behind the Collection
With John Galliano as the voice-over actor, the film peeled back the layers of the creative process behind each garment in the collection. It was a bold statement for the Maison (although similar films have been released in the past, such as the series S.W.A.L.K.), hinting that in the exclusive world of haute couture, true luxury lies in ideas.
Maison Margiela has always played with the idea of deconstructing fashion’s exclusivity, turning elitist codes into something accessible through intellectual appreciation. Today, true couture is not about owning the garments themselves but rather about possessing the ability to understand and value the artistry and ideas behind them.
Here are four intriguing facts about the Maison Margiela Artisanal show, carefully selected from the documentary that offers a rare glimpse into this milestone show.
4 Surprising Facts About Maison Margiela Artisanal SS24 Revealed
1. Don’t Trust Your Eyes: Materials Are Deceiving
Fabrics that look like something but are actually something else: Maison Margiela Artisanal’s collection is full of these playful deceptions. During the show, there were noticeable differences between the real and the perceived, such as trench coats that seemed to be made of cardboard. Yet, the documentary showcased many more examples of deceptive fabrics. One such detail is the bottom hem of a pair of trousers, which appears to be soaked from stepping into a puddle but actually uses a glossy lamination technique to achieve that wet look. Galliano aimed to replicate this visual illusion with a tweed coat, making it suitable for warmer climates. The result was a lighter garment made by mixing organza with netted tulle while still maintaining the illusion of heavy tweed.
Some bodies appeared to be painted like fauvist works of art but were actually dressed in skin-tight pieces. The garments had textured elements that emphasised the trompe l’oeil effect, making it seem as though the designs were airbrushed directly onto the model’s skin. Additionally, there were sleek, viscous surfaces that resembled latex but had a softer touch. Designer Galliano revealed that these were crafted from organza, with 3D-printed silicone following the warp and weft of the fabric, creating a liquid effect. The collection may be about the past, but the future is highly present in these innovative textile techniques.
2. Galliano Perfects the Bias Cut
John Galliano’s admiration for French designer Madeleine Vionnet is no secret. He credits her with inspiring his obsession with the bias cut, which has become his signature style. In the documentary, Galliano explained how, at Maison Margiela, they aimed to embroider on the bias to achieve a fluid effect similar to mercury or oily water. Despite working with countless embroidered bias-cut garments throughout his extensive career, he had never quite achieved the perfection he sought.
This collection allowed him and his team to study archival images of Madame Vionnet’s designs, where they discovered a secret she had taken to her grave: in order to achieve ultimate fluidity with the bias cut, embroidery must follow the fabric’s 45-degree angle. Galliano didn’t stop there. He pushed the boundaries of bias-cut innovation by creating a bias-cut dress with no visible seams. This challenging task was further complicated by the extensive use of corsets and prosthetics during the runway show, which made any adjustments even harder to keep subtle. The seamless effect was achieved by using fabrics with intricate patterns, like lace, which naturally concealed the hand-sewn seams. Galliano’s work is a testament to the idea that there is always more to learn, no matter how high one reaches.
3. Vintage Textiles, Fake Moths, Washing Mistakes and a Nod to Mickey Mouse
Focused on the clash between high fashion and squalor, Maison Margiela Artisanal SS24 draws heavily on Brassaï’s gritty characters. A standout piece that embodies this ethos, famously worn by Kim Kardashian at this year’s Met Gala, is a grey, felted sweater held together with a “pradesque” gesture. To capture the authenticity of Brassaï’s grimy Paris, Galliano instructed his team to use archival fabrics that had aged naturally over time, imbuing his vision with a tactile reality. These fabrics were applied to skirts with circular boning, shaping sheer black and gold evening gowns that played with rigid structure and boudoir transparency.
Old garments hold stories, and Galliano designed jackets with this concept in mind, using aggressive chemical washes to create a unique look. The tweed was deliberately thinned, with hidden plastic inserts causing the fabric to shrink in specific areas, lending the pieces a distinctive anatomical shape. Man Ray’s exploration of light and shadow also served as a key inspiration. In homage to this, Galliano ingeniously crafted a piece that mimicked the appearance of moth-eaten fabric, featuring irregular cut-out spheres that the designer humorously compared to a Mickey Mouse Easter egg. This clever design played with light and dark, creating a dynamic, fluid effect as the model moved.
4. Wait – Are the Rolling Stones Part of the Shoe Inspiration?
John Galliano has long emphasised Christian Louboutin’s creative influence on his work. For his Maison Margiela Artisanal collection, Galliano envisioned how Louboutin’s iconic red sole could bring a visceral, sensual edge to the designs. He imagined a blood-smeared sole running through foggy Paris streets, flashing in the moonlight. Similar to how the corset represents an aesthetic restriction, the Margiela Tabi shoe subverts the foot’s shape, revealing its true essence through its constraints.
The shoe redesigns were inspired by the curvy bodies seen on the runway, particularly at the heel, which had a rounded dome. The goal was to create a sense of anatomical restriction despite the shoe’s extreme appearance.
One standout design among the Tabi shoes featured hoof-like clogs and hair – earning them the title of the season’s most bizarre footwear alongside McQueen’s Hoof Shoes. However, the idea wasn’t entirely new. Galliano revealed the inspiration came from The Rolling Stones’ 1981 Start Me Up album cover, which surfaced randomly during a brainstorming session. This highlights the power of fashion, as it can connect early 20th-century Paris with the rock energy of the 1980s, all in one piece of footwear.