Radical conceptual designer Martin Margiela founded his namesake couture house in 1988 and quickly established himself at the forefront of the Belgian fashion avant-garde. In his career-long refusal to grant interviews or public appearances, he embodied the atelier’s principles of anonymity and collective craftsmanship. Following the designer’s departure in 2009, the line was helmed by its Paris-based design team until the appointment of John Galliano as creative director in 2014. Transformation and deconstruction are always at the heart of the label's reinvented womenswear classics. Repurposed materials, distressed treatments, asymmetric draping and tailoring, trompe-l’oeil effects, thoughtfully minimalist leather bags and jewelry, and endless interpretations of its signature Replica sneakers are always represented in Maison Margiela’s intellectual blend of conceptualism and luxury.