After announcing his departure from Maison Margiela, we reflect on John Galliano's decade-long tenure at the French maison
Here are his greatest moments
Last week was a history-making one for the upper echelons of the fashion industry. After months of swirling rumours, the legendary designer John Galliano took to Instagram on Wednesday afternoon to announce his departure from Maison Margiela, where he has held the position of artistic director since 2014.
Galliano, who accepted the role three years after he was fired from Dior for anti-semitic behaviour, thanked Renzo Rosso, chairman of Margiela’s owner, the OTB Group, saying: “The greatest, most precious gift he gave me was the opportunity to once again find my creative voice when I had become voiceless.”
He also began his statement by reflecting on his 14 years of sobriety — his drug and alcohol abuse were explored in the documentary ‘High & Low: John Galliano’ which was released late last year. The designer has been enjoying somewhat of a resurgence since, particularly following the Maison Margiela couture (referred to as ‘artisanal’ by the house) show in January. The collection took inspiration from Brassaï’s 1930s photography and broken porcelain dolls, with glass skin make-up created by Pat McGrath. It was such a spectacle that many predicted it would be his swan song for Margiela — turns out they were correct.
Galliano also hinted at his next move, writing: “The rumors…everyone wants to know and everyone wants to dream. When the time is right, all will be revealed.” Until then, let’s take a look back at some of his best moments from the past ten years at Maison Margiela.
Spring/Summer 2015 Artisanal
Galliano made his debut for the Margiela house in January 2015, at the tailend of London Men’s Fashion Week. Four years after the scandal of him being fired from the top-post at Dior, he chose to show couture in his hometown of London as opposed to Paris. A tight collection of 24 looks, it was a melding of two house codes and signature designers’ aesthetics — deconstruction, tailoring, flashes of red and leopard print, and a finale look showcasing a terrifying bedazzled mask, similar to the ones worn onstage by Kanye West the year previous for his ‘Yeezus’ tour. Funnily enough, those were created by Margiela’s then head designer Matthieu Blazy, who announced his departure from Bottega Veneta last week to take on the most coveted job in fashion — artistic director at Chanel.
Autumn/Winter 2015 Ready-To-Wear
This show marked Galliano’s return to Paris, and the return of his eccentric runway characters. A fluro-orange colour ran throughout the collection; on hats, gloves and wigs, with contrasting blue make-up. The show notes described it as "A fashion lo-fi: like Polaroids inflected with acid dreams".
Spring/Summer 2016 Ready-To-Wear
Space-age beehives, ladylike coats and oversized bags defined this Margiela collection. A mish-mash of the 1950s and traditional Japanese references, this is Galliano doing what he does best — taking a medley of global inspirations and creating something entirely new.
Spring/Summer 2017 Artisanal
This artisanal collection relied heavily on deconstruction, with the first few all-black looks showcasing trench coats, hats and dresses with panels cut away and inner linings exposed. While this is a Margiela signature, as the collection continued Galliano layered in his romantic narrative with tulle, chiffon and lace — one of the most memorable looks being a silhouette of a woman’s face constructed from billowing tulle on the side of white coat, which trailed behind the model as she walked.
Spring/Summer 2019 Ready-To-Wear
With iPhones strapped to model’s ankles like electronic tags, and iPads playing within backpacks, this was Galliano exploring humankind’s ever-growing relationship with technology. A continuation of the theme for his spring artisanal collection, this show saw white earphone strings coming out of Margiela handbags, a predecessor to the AirPods of the future that people are now rarely seen without. The clothes were gender fluid and harked back to the club kid culture of the 1980s when Galliano was a student at Central Saint Martins.
Spring/Summer 2020 Ready-To-Wear
With Brexit impending, and the UK on the cusp of being severed from the EU, Galliano showcased a collection which paid homage to those who fought in the world wars. Uniform heavy, you could spot interpretations of nurses, soldiers and sailors stomping the runway. A press release at the time read: “Stories of hope, heroines, and liberation are forgotten as history draws ever closer to repetition.”
Spring/Summer 2021 Ready-To-Wear
In the depths of a pandemic, naturally, Galliano found a way to prevail. Teaming up with Nick Knight’s SHOWstudio, this video explored the process of creating the Margiela spring/summer 2021 ready to wear collection, which he states is a natural succession from the research he does for the artisanal collection. Inspired by the culture of Tango dancing, this darkly romantic story allowed the world to engage with his creations, rather than a select few invited to the regular physical fashion shows.
Spring/Summer 2024 Artisanal
Galliano’s aforementioned swan song for the house of Margiela took place at Paris Couture Fashion Week in January this year. Inspired by the dark underbelly of 1930s Paris culture, guests inhabited a seedy bar below the Pont d’Alexandre III bridge, which slowly filled with a motley crew of sinister characters. The crescendo of the show saw actress Gwendoline Christie as a broken porcelain doll, dressed in a white and blue striped corset, hair in ringlets and walking with painfully stuttered movements. The show sent a clear message to the world that Galliano was back — a few months earlier the tell-all documentary ‘High and Low: John Galliano’ had lifted the lid on the scandal of 2011, which saw Galliano fall from grace and be fired from his position as artistic director at Dior. This was the designer being his most authentic self, returning to his roots, and giving the fashion industry a show it would never forget.
