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Get your freak on!
By SARAH FONES
The New York Post
When fast-fashion chain H&M
announced its collaboration with the fabled Maison Martin Margiela fashion
house, tongues wagged, eyes rolled and a few well-coiffed heads were scratched.
Since 2004, when Karl Lagerfeld became
the first big-name designer to create a collection for the Swedish
mega-retailer, it’s become de rigeur for high-end fashion houses, from Versace
to Lanvin, to slum it with the masses. But Margiela, a far more obscure label,
seemed a uniquely odd fit with H&M.
“It’s an unusual choice for a mass
collaboration,” says stylist and former V fashion market editor Catherine
Newell-Hanson of the label, which is known for its complex, defiantly un-trendy
and not always flattering clothes.
The collection hits stores on Thursday
and will feature “re-editions” of iconic MMM pieces from its 24-year history,
like a nude-color bodysuit with a trompe l’oeil black bandeau bra, a duvet coat
and a pair of “inside out” blue jeans.
Established in 1988 by an elusive
namesake designer who has never granted face-to-face interviews and has rarely
been photographed, Maison Martin Margiela has attracted critical accolades over
the years for avant garde designs like cloven-toe boots that resemble animal
hooves, knits with inlaid brick motifs and jackets made almost entirely from
synthetic hair.
Such designs were fawned over by
fashion insiders when they first went down the runway, but industry insiders
are dubious as to whether their mass-market reissues, priced from $12.95 (for a
women’s “hair lock” necklace) to $399 (for men’s and women’s assorted jackets
and shoes), will fly off the retail racks or just cheapen the high-fashion
house.
“Those who love Margiela love it in
part because it’s unique and not trying to appeal to everyone,” says fashion
consultant and StyleDefined NYC blogger Katya Moorman.
Even its celeb fans tend toward the
eccentric, such as Lady Gaga, actress/designer Chloë Sevigny and model Helena
Christensen.
Another sticking point among
fashionistas is whether H&M will be able to replicate MMM on the cheap:
Sure, the house’s signature exposed seams and trompe l’oeil prints look
incredible — when made from pricey Italian fabrics.
“A reconstructed coat that appears to
be made from two different vintage pieces is only luxurious through its use of
fine materials,” sniffs retailer and MMM collector Shawn Lisle. “Otherwise, it
just looks shoddy.”
But perhaps the biggest hurdle for
H&M is that the label is largely unknown to broad swaths of the retail
public. It wouldn’t be a stretch to say that many only know the label through
Kanye West, who gives it a shout-out in his hit “N - - - - s in Paris,” rapping
“What’s drugs, my dealer? What’s that jacket, Margiela?”
But while it’s not a household
label-whore name like past H&M collaborators Stella McCartney and Roberto
Cavalli, the retailer insists its customers will buy.
“This collaboration will prove that
fashion is not a matter of price,” maintains company spokeswoman Jennifer Ward.
And style snobs be damned, she may
have a point.
“The Internet has widened the scope of
awareness and enthusiasm about fashion,” says Newell-Hanson of the increasingly
style-savvy public.
Not only that, the
Barneys-and-Bergdorf set isn’t above stepping inside the retail behemoth to get
in on the action.
“MMM has a loyal, die-hard fan base
that will buy it by the armful!” adds Newell-Hanson.
Read complete article here.
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| The puffer coat gets a new spin — it's a snuggly blanket. Maison Martin Margiela for H&M duvet coat, $349, mirrored leggings, $39.99, and plexi wedges, $299, all at H&M. (Photo courtesy of New York Post) |
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