Maison Martin Margiela

As the enigmatic designer's split-toe shoe gains a celebrity following years after its initial release, retailers are cashing in.

In today's news bites, Virgil Abloh will show his Spring/Summer 2018 menswear collection as a guest designer at Pitti Uomo, while a new tome celebrates the tenure of Martin Margiela at Hermès.

The undone quality which permeated everything looked like a reflection on time: its passing, and the effect that has on objects and lives.

As talk turns towards a future of consumer-facing fashion shows, we look back on the 1989 Martin Margiela presentation, which set a new paradigm for the fashion show as a public spectacle, in an oral history with contributions from Margiela’s closest collaborators and biggest supporters of the time, courtesy of The Gentlewoman.

Couture is moving away from the dangers of glorified ready-to-wear and embracing experimentation and invention.