After a career spent avoiding the spotlight, Belgian fashion designer Martin Margiela is auctioning part of his personal archives in Paris on Thursday. The sale includes sketches, a white work coat, and other artefacts from the 69-year-old trailblazer who retired in 2009.
Auction Details and Items
The auction, supervised by Margiela himself, features over 200 items, including a prototype face mask he made models wear to keep focus on the clothes, and champagne corks from bottles used to celebrate with early clients. Also included are Barbie dolls used as mannequins and a purple velvet AIDS awareness badge reading "There is more action to be taken than to wear this badge, but it is a good start."
Margiela's Philosophy and Absence
"This sale is a creative act, and also a manifestation of his concept, his philosophy," auctioneer Salome Pirson from Maurice Auction told AFP. "He's giving the public the opportunity to discover his inner world, to touch his objects, to own his personal coat, but at the same time, he is the one who is most conspicuously absent."
Margiela, who rarely gave interviews or allowed photographs, shunned traditional catwalk bows. The auction allows him to control his legacy. "He is 69 years old, he has no heirs, and in one way, by organising this sale, he is arranging his own legacy by putting all the potential buyers who might be interested in competition with one another," Pirson added.
Interest and Bidding
More than 3,000 people viewed the collection before the sale. Many Japanese buyers are expected to bid, given Margiela's popularity in Japan. Museums and institutions will also compete. The auction includes Hermes items Margiela designed as creative director from 1997-2003, which were gifted to his late mother.
