This is our unfiltered review of the new documentary Martin Margiela: In His Own Words.
If you’ve follow fashion, even just a little bit, you’ve likely seen the newly released trailers for Martin Margiela: In His Own Words. Filmed a decade after Margiela’s departure from his historic label, the film shows unprecedented footage and details from some of the most legendary shows. If you’re wondering, it’s much, much, much better than the snore-fest of the Dries documentary by the same director/producer Reiner Holzemer.
Given that the film just started streaming in the U.K. as of April, 10 2020, you may also be wondering how to watch it in the U.S. If you try to search for it, it’s actually a little more complicated than it may seem. The secret to watching Martin Margiela: In His Own Words in the U.S. is to watch in on a VPN. The U.S. rights to the film were just acquired in February 2020, so it may a while before streaming is official available in the U.S.
However, there is a way to work around it. First, you need a VPN. If you don’t already use one, I recommend Kaspersky, which offers a free trial. Sign up and activate it (it will need to be set to the U.K., since the film is technically only available for streaming there), then you need to go to Curzon Home Cinema and purchase the film. It should work, but you’ll have to watch it on your phone/laptop unless you can easily connect your phone/laptop to your TV, which is what I ended up doing.
Martin Margiela: In His Own Words is worth watching even if you don’t consider yourself a hardcore fashion fan. It shows Margiela’s career through a unique lens and gives insight to some of the most unique and forgotten parts of various collections, from the year it was founded in 1988, to the year Margiela left his own company in 2009.
The format of Martin Margiela: In His Own Words follows each collection, with Margiela himself explaining the clothing, theatrics, set-up and sometimes even makeup behind it all. The film also follows the back story of what was happening inside the brand while all the shows were going on — from the creation of Margiela’s iconic Tabi shoe, to the woman who brought the brand to the U.S. market, to the show producer who made some of the most unique shows happen.
Overall, there’s a really diverse and unique group of voices that comes together to illustrate the life and work of Margiela. Former French Vogue Editor-in-Chief Carine Roitfeld, for example, talks about the iconic makeup done by Inge Gronard (who is still working backstage at show today). Critic Cathy Horyn speaks about the vibrancy and mystery surrounding the early shows, from sitting on a washing machine and watching one show to the idea that critics got used to the fact that Margiela never gave interviews of spoke about his collections. Producer Etienne Russo spoke about some of the most interesting shows he set up. One of the most interesting voices in Martin Margiela: In His Own Words is also Lidewij Edelkoort, one of the world’s most well-known trend forecasters.
Through Margiela still remains equal parts anonymous and mysterious, the film gives us more insight than ever before through the use of the designer’s own voice and not-so-cryptic background. We hear the story of how he grew up wanting to be a fashion designer, shamed by his parents, and turned to designing avant-garde outfits for his doll collection. Barbie, are you listening? We need a Margiela Barbie stat.
The film ends by asking Margiela a single question: “Do you think you have told everything that you want to tell in fashion?” Can you guess what his answer was?
=
Leave a Comment