Creating a Campaign for Maison Margiela
"A walk through the underbelly of Paris"
In today’s post, I’m paying homage to one of the most innovative fashion houses: Maison Margiela. I love that Margiela’s garments take an unusual or absurd approach where distortion and dissonance are celebrated. Maison Margiela is anything but traditional, so I wanted to lean into this philosophy and build a campaign direction taking inspiration from the spectacular Maison Margiela 2024 Spring Artisanal Collection by John Galliano.
1. Concept Statement:
Exploring the absurdity and dissonance through surrealism-oriented, avant-garde collage campaigns that align with Margiela’s ethos.
2. Visual Inspiration and Moodboard:
Referencing everything from Maison Martin Margiela’s iconic Tabi boots dipped in red paint for his Spring/Summer 1991 runway show to a porcelain/mannequin doll to Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec’s ‘At the Moulin-Rouge’ painting (1892-1895) to asymmetrical outlined lips to hanging nylon stockings to jewel-toned doll-like makeup to match Pat McGrath’s iconic execution for the Artisanal Collection 2024. I wanted to set the tone by selecting mesmerizing images that echo the presentation's intoxicating story.
“To me, it felt that yesterday’s characters were personalities of the night—people who could exist only in a city like Paris, with unconventional lives and jobs and stories, coming together in a decaying nightclub to revive a period that no longer existed and revel in one another’s misunderstood company. Legendary makeup artist Pat McGrath gave the models glassy, porcelain skin, making them look like dolls and hinting that this kind of louche bohemianism is something we can all play with but can’t always become."
—Harper’s Bazaar
3. Collage Campaigns
My artistic choices for this mini-collage campaign series play with the distortion of anonymity and proportions that pay tribute to Margiela’s theme. I made intentional choices that juggled exaggeration, destruction and surrealism. Rather than having a product-focused campaign, I went for a conceptual approach to give a nod to the eerie and unconventional, which I felt would fit perfectly for the house.
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My goal with the storytelling is to take you on a journey that strikes you with otherworldly elements and dreamlike qualities. The drapery used as the backdrop, created in Adobe Dimension, symbolizes an old theatrical stage. Then I decided to go with a dark and moody colour scheme to give the feeling of walking under The Pont Alexandre III, or as poetically said by Galliano, “a walk through the underbelly of Paris.” I wanted to punctuate the weird and the wonderful by adding in objects that one would find behind a theatre stage—random props that don’t make sense on their own but when combined, it tells an interesting story.
If you haven’t seen the show, watch it here: Maison Margiela Artisanal Collection 2024
“The show looked like a breathing Toulouse-Lautrec painting, with nipped-waist silhouettes, full-skirt sheer dresses, and elaborate Edwardian hats that called to mind the shapes from Galliano’s Dior Fall 2005 couture show.”
—Harper’s Bazaar
The execution possibilities are endless—a social media activation, editorial feature, or limited capsule collection could work nicely! However, I created a quick mockup of a creased poster showcasing the campaign and Maison Margiela’s design signature of four stitches that sits on the outside of the garments. I love his radical approach which is still very much a part of the brand’s identity today.
That wraps up my Maison Margiela collage campaign! I hope you enjoyed reading as much as I enjoyed creating this post. I originally planned to create an animated version of the campaign as well, but I ran out of time—maybe next time. Do you think my visual approach connects with Margiela’s world? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments!
Waving + smiling!
XX,
Dominique