The optical illusion of the new Maison Margiela x Reebok Club C
Printed all over with the "trompe l'oeil" technique
March 17th, 2021
In the world of art, the so-called trompe l'oeil is a game of perspectives according to which a flat object, once painted, seems to take on depth and three-dimensionality. This is the technique that John Galliano, creative director of Maison Margiela, has chosen to characterize his most recent collaboration with Rebook, the Maison Margiela x Reebok Club C: composed of a single piece of smooth leather that would seem somewhat futuristic without decoration, but on whose upper was printed the scanned image of the original Reebok model.
The original model of Club C, therefore, one of Reebok's most famous tennis silhouettes, is deconstructed and rebuilt in pure Margiela style – always on the limit between reality and illusion. The print imitates every seam, fold and shadow of the three-dimensional surface of the sneaker, obtaining a two-dimensional optical illusion – to which will then be added the natural signs of the time that will change the appearance of the shoe. The last touch to the silhouette is the double branded tongue.