The myth and mystery crystallized in a new short film by Alison Chernick
No designer has exerted as much influence on fashion history as Martin Margiela, all while remaining an industry enigma. Namesake founder of the minimalist fashion house, today his anonymous ideals to be judged by artistic output alone seem alien in an age defined by the cult of celebrity.
“One of our shoots had to be done from the neck down as not to get any faces”
In the new short film The Artist is Absent, a play on Marina Abramović’s 2010 MoMA spectacle, director Alison Chernick charts the creative trajectory of the fashion innovator in absentia. Gaining rare access to the Parisian Maison's archival footage, Chernick embarked on the journey with their full blessing.
“The maison is an experience,” says Chernick. “They walk around in their white lab coats and they all eat together. It’s very democratic.” Continuing the legacy of its enigmatic founder, the house insists on almost complete anonymity of its creative team, upholding the concept of a white coat-adorned ‘collective designer,’ even after the identity of later designers were outed. Chief fashion critic Suzy Menkes revealed the identity of designer Matthieu Blazy in 2014 (despite his LinkedIn profile having done so for years) and last year’s media frenzy surrounded former Dior creative director John Galliano’s appointment as head of the house.
“One of our shoots had to be done from the neck down as not to get any faces,” says Chernick. “It was walking headless bodies. The footage looked ridiculous but kind of cool at the same time."
The Artist is Absent: A Short Film on Martin Margiela premieres at Tribeca Film Festival, April 23, 25 and 26 and on Yoox.com, April 27.
Preview the film below on the highly reclusive designer.
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