Simply The Best. Maison Martin Margiela SS03

April 19, 2026 | Design & Culture by Ed

I don’t like naming favorites – but this might be it. The Maison Martin Margiela spring–summer 2003 collection has been living in my head for a while now. You already know I’m not really feeling what Glenn Martens is doing at the house right now (though I’ll always have a soft spot for the MM6 team). So instead, I’ve been going back – properly back – into Martin Margiela’s archives. Not the forced “Folders” narrative the brand is pushing, but the real thing. And honestly? I couldn’t be happier to have unearthed the full set of images from this collection.

Because this collection is a reminder – no, proof – of how much everyone owes him. From Hodakova to Vaquera, from Phoebe Philo to Marc Jacobs – they’re all, in some way, walking a path he cleared. He ran so the rest could even begin. READ THE FULL TEXT HERE.

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.
Don’t forget to follow Design & Culture by Ed on Instagram.

Hey, did you know about my newsletter – Ed’s Dispatch? Click here to subscribe.

Shanghai. Maison Margiela AW26

April 3, 2026 | Design & Culture by Ed

At this point, there’s little sense in trying to draw connections between what Martin Margiela’s brand once was and what it is today. In the days of the revolutionary Belgian designer, the scale was small, anonymity was essential, and no-nonsense ideas were paramount. Today, this is Renzo Rosso’s house being scaled up – not only through perfume lines or Miley Cyrus campaigns, but also by presenting its latest collection in Shanghai.

I don’t see Maison Margiela as a “destination” brand like Chanel or Louis Vuitton, so it’s difficult to justify this move as anything beyond commercial expansion. The autumn-winter 2026 collection marks Glenn Martens’ third outing. It is, so far, his strongest – far more compelling than his spring effort, with its inexplicable metal gags tucked into models’ mouths – yet that doesn’t mean I’m entirely convinced. READ MY FULL REVIEW HERE.

ED’s SELECTION:

Maison Margiela Tabi Ballerina Split-toe Distressed Velvet Pumps

Maison Margiela Dégradé Checked Woven Midi Skirt

Maison Margiela Embroidered Mesh-trimmed Wool Cardigan

Maison Margiela Box Leather Shoulder Bag

Maison Margiela Padded Wool-trimmed Quilted Crinkled Shell Jacket

Maison Margiela Ombre Leather Anatomic Block-Heel Pumps

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.
Don’t forget to follow Design & Culture by Ed on Instagram.

Hey, did you know about my newsletter – Ed’s Dispatch? Click here to subscribe.

Brut. Maison Margiela AW25 Haute Couture

July 10, 2025 | Design & Culture by Ed

Couture is the most archaic branch of fashion sensu lato, and this time around I really wondered if it shouldn’t be put to sleep – and wake up only when it has something meaningful to say again. Or at least when a prince – a new, revolutionary talent – emerges and gives it a kiss of life.

Glenn Martens certainly isn’t that prince. I’ve never been a number one Y/Project fan, and his Diesel isn’t my cup of tea either. So when the news broke that he’s the new creative director of Maison Margiela, you can imagine I wasn’t overly thrilled. After seeing his debut artisanal collection yesterday, all I thought was: damn, we’ve been really blessed to see John Galliano’s final act over a year ago (and we just didn’t deserve it).

To me, Martin Margiela isn’t just the ultimate fashion genius – but also a designer of silence. It took years for Galliano to get into that “silence”. Martens, who’s from a generation that studied Margiela at school, and whose work has been heavily influenced by Margiela since day one, is a “loud” designer. As in “pop-loud”.

That says a lot about why his first collection for the house lacked the soul-touching subtlety of Martin – or Galliano – and instead relied heavily on straightforward references, such as the masks. READ MY FULL REVIEW HERE.