The image of Martin Margiela consists of a never-photographed designer who irreverently sends outré looks down the Paris runway on models shadowed by lab coat-wearing employees. The distilled identity of Margiela's wares, however, is that of a masculine uniform for clued in men working in fashion and other creative industries.
We count several Margiela devotees among our discerning network of tastemakers. They buy new pieces—which are not always distinguishable—from season to season, and opt for dusty-colored button downs, leather jackets, louche suits, sober fisherman-inspired knits, sneakers that look like Eastern Bloc basics and, of course, the ever-popular serialized t-shirts. It comes as no surprise that the Belgian designer draws repeat visits of the cultish variety.
Fashion marketing consultant Jeremy Talamini counts himself as a member of the Margiela fan club, and, like most Margiela wearers, has a specific philosophy on the designer's dress code. "I think it is a uniform of sorts, for the guy who has good taste but doesn't want the label of wearing a label. It is extremely comfortable so you can feel as though you are put together, but maintain the feeling of wearing khakis and a t-shirt. This, for me, is key because so often designer stuff is a burden to actually wear every day—unwieldy buttons, awkwardly placed pockets, for example."
This message also holds muster among men who consider flamboyant fashion awareness to be a major faux pas. Fashion designer Edward Buchanan explains: "I like that it is in a sense discreet, but those who know, know." Uber-stylist Beat Bolliger—whose wardrobe is 65% Margiela, with Marc Jacobs, YSL and Ralph Lauren making up the rest—gushes of his love affair: "the proportions are accurate, there's not too much going in the garment and I buy everything."
Buchanan confesses to owning a wardrobe that's 80% Margiela, noting that he inadvertently finds himself dressed entirely in the designer's garments. "It fits my body well. It's basic but has that fashion edge. You feel dressed up but still casual," he explains. Margiela is one of those brands that's wearable from head to toe. And, with the label's slow expansion into footwear, bags and jewelry, a total look is easy.
Why, then, are fashion-savvy men the leading converts? Is it because it takes a trained eye to recognize the sartorial superiority of Margiela's tailoring and fabric choices? Makeup artist Jabes Vincent (who also runs a spa in Guadalope) offers: "wearing Margiela shows you are not like the other men, like the others who simply like fashion. Margiela lovers are a kind of a little 'aristocracy.' I like this idea, even if it's quite superficial." Buchanan suggests an equally exclusive explanation, but one riddled with other insecurities, saying: "fashion people are, in most cases, afraid of fashion. They like fashion and like to wear it but are afraid to look like a fashion plate."
The image of Margiela as the thinking man's brand is shared by his followers and also serves as a central platform for the label's mystery and mystique. Jim Dorsey, a San Francisco-based fashion executive at E-Luxury, says he's been wearing the label for about ten years and considers "Margiela an investment in intelligent, versatile studied pieces. I also like that there's a vague historical context to each collection (usually '70s disco/rock—an excellent era for menswear). I have to admit, too, that I fall victim to the superficial 'branding' of his clothes: the white lab coats, the anti-marketing of the brand, the perception that the clientele is artistic and renegade and cool. It brings a sense of affiliation that is further enhanced by the four white stitches of his label—which is, after all just as much a badge of identity as the ubiquitous LV monogram canvas."
With such insider appeal, could Margiela ever reach that megabrand status? Parent company Diesel keeps its expansion plans close to the bosom, but there are rumors of forthcoming store openings in Las Vegas, Chicago and San Francisco to join the ranks of his locations in New York, Paris and Los Angeles. Indeed many more stores continue to stock the line worldwide. One can only hope that a wider audience of men will embrace Margiela's smart options when it comes to sartorial choices.
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