Photos: eyeonglam.com
Throughout his career, Martin Margiela has maintained a low personal profile. He has never had his picture taken and always remains backstage after his shows. All media contact is dealt via fax. Maison Martin Margiela’s ultra-discreet trademark consists of a piece of cloth with the numbers 0-23. The badge is attached to the inside with its four little white pick stitches, exposed to the outside on unlined garments. For the 20th anniversary, the anonymous tag was replaced by a classic logotype.
Recently, Maison Martin Margiela has united with the Swarovski for new and unique Crystalactite jewellery collection. These pieces are made using unique Crystal Fusion technique, by which crystal is merged with matt white resin before it is cut, making gluing unnecessary. This is unprecedented, and the result is startlingly futuristic — an avant-garde and asymmetric beauty, inspired by the shape and structure of stalactites. Maison Martin Margiela showed how the five Crystalactite Haute Couture jewellery pieces can be turned into amazingly versatile accessories. A specially integrated clip mechanism enables them to be worn on the hair, clothing, or footwear, giving an eclectic, cutting-edge look that is way ahead of its time. And the famous sparkle of Swarovski makes the overall look even more stunning.
Swarovski said that to them, these pieces are real works of art, and it certainly is a breakthrough in terms of their product development. “A lot of people see us as a crystal manufacturer, which is true, but actually our strength is in master cutting” – Swarovski.
