• Fashion & Textile Research Journal
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.173-182
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• 2022

As consumption pattern and fashion communication become digitalized, fashion houses are being inherited by creative directors owing to their expanding role. While the roles and responsibilities of creative directors have been changing extensively along with the dynamic nature of the fashion industry, researches on creative directions have mostly focused on luxury brands. This study examined the creative direction of John Galliano for Maison Margiela, a conceptual brand to be maintained by a creative director. To analyze this, the authors established a creative direction analysis model constituting five elements: brand heritage, trend, democratization, brand status, and persona, drawing on the luxury brand architecture by Kapferer and Bastien. Thus, Galliano has maintained anonymity as a heritage of Maison Margiela, expanding the existing Replica lines, and introduced fashion shows focusing on current issues or social phenomena. As a democratization strategy, he directed the brand to associate with more popular brands or expanded diffusion lines to secure broader customer base, while demonstrating couturier-like showmanship in the media and establishing his own persona. His direction for Maison Margiela recreates and expands brand heritage by transforming the brand philosophy. Therefore the new creative direction communicates with the wider public and diversifies customer bases through democratization strategies, while building Galliano's own persona.

• The Research Journal of the Costume Culture
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• v.19 no.6
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• pp.1302-1319
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• 2011

The purpose of this study is to investigate the means by which designers communicate their philosophies and messages through fashion exhibitions, which are one of the communication methods that use visual images, by focusing on the aesthetics of fashion exhibition design. For this study, previous studies related to design exhibitions were analyzed, in addition to the related theoretical background, by examining the existing literature and conducting an illustrative study on fashion exhibitions. Our illustrative study focused on the aesthetic meanings of exhibitions held by the fashion brand Maison Martin Margiela over the past 10 years. According to our analyses, the fashion philosophy of fashion designer Martin Margiela's was reflected by Maison Martin Margiela in the exhibition design. After studying the features of Maison Martin Margiela's exhibition design, the inner values of deconstructivism and mysticism and appearance techniques of trompe-l'oeil, white spirit and assemblage were observed. This study aims to supply basic data for an active research on consilience and communication conducted in fashion communication field through a fashion exhibition designed to be seen as a work, an objet of the exhibition. In-depth studies on the cultural and aesthetical aspects of fashion exhibitions should be carried out, not only based on the sense of sight but also the senses of touch and hearing. Next, theories should be established on fashion scenography, to consider the use of the space design of fashion shows, presentations and advertising and movies to communicate fashion.

• Journal of Fashion Business
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• v.19 no.4
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• pp.135-152
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• 2015

The purpose of this study is to explore the role of deconstruction and creative destruction in Maison Margiela’s fashion design code, which has opened the door to a new wave of innovative design since 1988. Using a combination of theoretical analysis, precedent research, and a review of existing literature, five years of Maison Margiela's works (2010-2014) were evaluated. The analysis shows that Maison Margiela’s Design Code consists of the following key elements: Addition, Extension, Asymmetry, Elimination, Deconstruction, Complanation, and Inversion. Addition refers to act of attaching additional pieces of fabric or clothing on the existing piece. Extension refers to the act of extending the design elements, such as their position or features. Asymmetry means the irregular positioning of left-to right and front-to-back length and features. Deconstruction could be seen in intentionally frayed sleeves, open seams, and tears in the cloth. The element of Elimination was evident in the removal of key pieces of clothing such as a coat, pants, blouse, and a jacket. Complanation refers to the reversion to a two dimensional contemplation of the human form rather than the more obvious 3-dimensional form. Finally, Inversion was used by displaying an inner layer of clothing on the outside or exposing seams or zippers in a way that people are not accustomed to seeing. It also meant that the order of wearing clothes was sometimes inverted, so external layers would be worn within clothing that are traditionally underneath. Maison Margiela’s creations represented a break