>> Those four white stitches in a rectangular formation are instantly recognisable as the mark of Maison Martin Margiela, despite the initial attempt of Martin Margiela to convey a sense of anonymity. “What most people consider as our logo – the four stitches in the back with the white label inside the garment – had in fact the opposite purpose: it was meant to be cut off so the garment would be without a label and logo.” says the house voice of MMM in this interview with Filep Motwary. This season though for A/W 14, below those four stitches sat a logo that was very much on show for all to see. Rather than branding though, it was MMM acknowledging and openly revealing the origin of their fabrics – namely Harris Tweed (as well as other British wool and Prince of Wales check purveyors). It was a joy to see that famed red and white logo with a sovereign’s orb. It took me back to the time I went up to the Isle of Lewis to discover the making of Harris Tweed for Nike, the easy maner of Don John the weaver and the beautiful Outer Hebridean landscape that is almost at one with the threads of the tweed. That’s up there as one of my favourite posts I’ve ever done and so here’s a bit of a shameless promo to go read it, if you haven’t done so.
In comparison to the other labels such as Abraham Moon & Sons tweed, which were smaller and placed to the left, right or towards the bottom of jackets and coats, the Harris Tweed label was often directly below the four stitches and centralised on the back of garments (detailing sadly lost on Style.com images). The labels, originating from deconstructed garments, almost looked like they were pitted against the MMM house signature, overshadowing those four little white stitches at times. It’s a small detail but a big gesture in my opnion to given an open credit to fabrics, which were the main focal points of the collection. It was a far more muted affair than last season’s vintage showgirls but no less interesting when tweed, often associated with men’s country tailoring, was cut, reconfigured and given levity with the addition of cotton shirting fabrics. The team at Margiela seem to be taking cues from their critically-acclaimed Artisanal line, where upcycling and repurposing vintage pieces has worked so well for them. The same principle applied here but with even more exemplary pattern cutting skills on show. Front on, there was an ease to it all. From the back? The label was on show and there’s no annoying urge to keep it hidden (I tuck people’s labels back inside their shirts on the tube without them knowing…). The shout out to British fabric mills was something to show off.
Photo from The Dilly Chic
Backstage at Maison Martin Margiela A/W 14 from Vogue.com
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