It’s an exciting day for Glenn Martens. The top Belgian designer is showing his very first collection for fashion house Maison Margiela on the Paris catwalk. Martens has big shoes to fill, as successor to couture genius John Galliano.
Flemish fashion designer Glenn Martens makes debut for Maison Margiela at Paris Haute Couture Week
Colin Clapson
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It’s been a steep climb for the Bruges-born designer, who was appointed as creative director for the French luxury fashion house with deep Belgian roots less than six months ago. Martens is comfortable with the speed required and is always prepared down to the last detail.
‘I started designing this collection even before I was sure I would get the job at Margiela,’ the new artistic director told Vogue Business.
'On the first day when I reported to Maison Margiela's headquarters, I had already drawn and worked out the entire couture collection, down to the smallest details: the colours, the mood boards, everything was there. The team just had to develop it."
At 42, the West Fleming has already made quite a reputation for himself in the fashion world. He broke through more than 10 years ago at French ready-to-wear brand Y/Project, where he made a name with his layered and gender fluid designs.
Since 2020, single-handedly, he has been breathing new life into Diesel. Since becoming creative director, he placed the Italian denim brand at the centre of pop culture, street fashion and celebrity style. From Rihanna to Kylie Jenner, suddenly everyone is only too happy to be seen in Diesel. In this way Martens measures up to the image of ‘fashion prodigy’.
Child of the Margiela generation
With Martens en poste, there is once again a Fleming at the creative helm of Maison Margiela. The house was founded in 1988 by Fleming Martin Margiela. In the 1990s and early 2000s, Margiela created furore in the fashion world through his divergent vision of prevailing conventions.
At the time, Margiela became known for his love of deconstruction, recycling and use of unconventional materials. And he also left an impression on the younger Glenn Martens, who - like Margiela before him - studied fashion at the Royal Academy of Antwerp.
‘I am a child of the Margiela generation,’ Martens says. ‘Martin is more than a designer, he is a school that changed the thinking of a lot of people. He tried to look at beauty in a different way. He taught us that garments don't have to follow a classic structure."