TRAVEL NEWS
Parker, and copied widely on the high street. But despite celebrity followers, cult status and a new cash-spinning line in perfumes, the 70-strong team behind MMM remains aloof and speaks only as a collective from the Paris HQ, saying: “In deciding to let [Margiela’s] fashion speak for itself and remain anonymous, Margiela as a brand is driven by product and sheer invention rather than fad, hype and celebrity often linked to other fashion labels.” It’s a stance that comes through in the famously blank labels attached to every garment, a deliberate move not to self-promote. MMM continues: “We prefer that people react to a garment through their taste and personal style, not their impression of the individual and group of people who created it.”
Unveiling Fashion’s Invisible Man London If you can’t place a face to the name Martin Margiela, don’t worry – your fashion savvy is not slipping. The world’s front-row fashionistas have never seen the notoriously elusive designer, dubbed “the invisible man” of fashion. But at Somerset House’s Embankment Galleries from 3 June to 5 September, there’s a chance to pin down the style of his label, as Maison Martin Margiela’s first major retrospective, 20, celebrates two decades at the top of the fashion pile. Using installations, photography, video and 18 | TRAVELLER | JUNE 10
film, the exhibition charts the rise of a label founded by Jean Paul Gaultier’s one-time design assistant in 1988 and famous for its “anti-fashion” approach. Look out for visible zips – a trend that has now hit the mainstream, deconstructed hemlines (à la Diesel – the brand owned by Renzo Russo, who in 2002 bought a majority stake in MMM) and the tabi boot – distinctively sculpted around the toes to define them in a manner akin to wearing socks with sandals. It sounds unflattering, but the tabi was made iconic by stars such as Sarah Jessica
For MMM, it seems simple. They show, the clothes tell… “Unlike actors or singers, we do not need a physical form to express our work,” the team says. Even in the face of speculation about Margiela himself vanishing from design duties for good, the label remains tight-lipped and the house style unaltered. The trendy deconstructed slouch boot was inspired by MMM and a prolific, iconographic use of whites still dominates their collections and six shops throughout Europe. This summer’s exhibition presented by Somerset House has already received acclaim in galleries Haus der Kunst (Munich) and MoMu (Antwerp), and is a rare peek into the mysterious world of one of fashion’s most intriguing designers. Somerset House Embankment Galleries, Strand, WC2, somersethouse.org.uk Deborah Hatch
calendar june 18–20 Park Live Fest
SOFIA A veritable feast of nostalgia for 90s trip-hoppers, the second incarnation of this Bulgarian electro-fest plays host to Lamb, Morcheeba and Gotan Project among others. All for the bargainbasement price of €45 for a deluxe three-day pass. parklivefest.com/en
22 Hangar Bicocca Gallery Reopens
MILAN Renovated and rejuvenated, this staple of Milan’s art scene reopens on the 22nd. See specially commissioned installation Personnes by Christian Boltanski and works by Anselm Kiefer (pictured), Fausto Melotti and Stefano Boccalini and enjoy the new bistro and freeWi-Fi throughout. hangarbicocca.it
24 Munich Opera Festival
MUNICH This annual festival, which runs until the end of July, brings Bavarian opulence to the old favourites. Join hundreds of opera buffs on the city square or in the high-tech temporary Pavillon 21 MINI Opera Space for this year’s Tosca or Don Giovanni. bayerische.staatsoper.de
Words Sarah Warwick
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