Questions about the anonymous Belgian deconstructionist and his house under John Galliano and Glenn Martens, answered from Ayerhs’s Maison Margiela reviews.
By Shreya S · Last reviewed 31 October 2026
On this page: The house and its founder · The designers · The collections · The Ayerhs view
The house and its founder
Who is Martin Margiela?
A Belgian designer, born in 1957, who studied at Antwerp’s Royal Academy, assisted Jean Paul Gaultier, and founded Maison Martin Margiela in Paris in 1988 with Jenny Meirens. He refused interviews and photographs, so the work spoke for itself. He left the house in 2009.
What is deconstruction in fashion?
Taking a garment apart to expose how it is made: visible seams and linings, unfinished hems, garments turned inside out or rebuilt from old clothes. Margiela, alongside Japanese designers such as Rei Kawakubo, made it one of the defining ideas of 1990s fashion.
What are Margiela’s signature codes?
- The Tabi boot, with its split toe, from the first 1988 show
- The blank white label held by four white stitches
- Artisanal: one-off pieces made from found and recycled objects
- Staff in white lab coats
The designers
What did John Galliano do at Margiela?
He was creative director from 2014 to 2024, his comeback after leaving Dior. He renamed the house Maison Margiela and turned Artisanal into couture theatre, ending with the porcelain-skinned Couture Spring 2024 show, one of the most celebrated of the decade.
Read on Ayerhs: John Galliano – The complete guide · Beyond Couture: Spring 2024
Who is the creative director of Maison Margiela now?
Glenn Martens, the Belgian designer known for Y/Project and Diesel, appointed in January 2025. His first Artisanal couture show was in July 2025, and he revisited the Margiela legacy with bold surrealism for Spring 2026. The house is owned by OTB, Renzo Rosso’s group, which also owns Diesel.
Read on Ayerhs: Couture Fall 2025 · Spring 2026 · Martens at Diesel
The collections
Which Margiela collections should you know?
| Season | Designer | Review |
|---|---|---|
| Couture Fall 2018 | Galliano | Virtual Voyages |
| Couture Spring 2019 | Galliano | Excess and Dreams |
| Couture Spring 2020 | Galliano | Magenta Marvel |
| Fall 2020 | Galliano | Deconstruction Mania |
| Couture Fall 2020 | Galliano | Review |
| Couture Spring 2024 | Galliano | Beyond Couture |
| Couture Fall 2025 | Martens | Review |
| Spring 2026 | Martens | Bold surrealism |
The Ayerhs view
Why does Margiela still matter?
Because almost every idea in modern fashion, from upcycling to anti-branding, passes through Margiela. Galliano turned it into theatre; Martens, a fellow Belgian deconstructionist, is bringing it back to its roots.