A Guide to All Creative Directors

A Guide to All Creative Directors

A Guide to All Creative Directors

A Guide to All Creative Directors

A Guide to All Creative Directors

A Guide to All Creative Directors

A Guide to All Creative Directors

A Guide to All Creative Directors

A Guide to All Creative Directors

A Guide to All Creative Directors

A Guide to All Creative Directors

A Guide to All Creative Directors

A Guide to All Creative Directors

A Guide to All Creative Directors

A Guide to All Creative Directors

A Guide to All Creative Directors

A Guide to All Creative Directors

A Guide to All Creative Directors

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Margiela breaks fashion auction records in France

The buzz around the SS90 collection exceeds expectations

Margiela breaks fashion auction records in France The buzz around the SS90 collection exceeds expectations
Margiela breaks fashion auction records in France The buzz around the SS90 collection exceeds expectations

On January 27, Kerry Taylor Auctions and Maurice Auction made history with a fashion auction of ephemeral objects created by Martin Margiela from a single owner. With 100% of lots sold (a so-called “White Glove” sale) and a total of 1,889,000 euros, the auction Martin Margiela, The Early Years: 1988-1994 became the most successful fashion auction ever held in France. As the walls of the auction room, located in an abandoned building on Boulevard Voltaire in the 11th arrondissement of Paris, were about to explode with a horde of bidders eager to take their loot home, the sales followed one another in quick succession, sweeping everything in their wake.

Margiela breaks fashion auction records in France The buzz around the SS90 collection exceeds expectations | Image 551755
Margiela breaks fashion auction records in France The buzz around the SS90 collection exceeds expectations | Image 551745
Margiela breaks fashion auction records in France The buzz around the SS90 collection exceeds expectations | Image 551744
Margiela breaks fashion auction records in France The buzz around the SS90 collection exceeds expectations | Image 551751
Margiela breaks fashion auction records in France The buzz around the SS90 collection exceeds expectations | Image 551746
Margiela breaks fashion auction records in France The buzz around the SS90 collection exceeds expectations | Image 551752
Margiela breaks fashion auction records in France The buzz around the SS90 collection exceeds expectations | Image 551749
Margiela breaks fashion auction records in France The buzz around the SS90 collection exceeds expectations | Image 551756
Margiela breaks fashion auction records in France The buzz around the SS90 collection exceeds expectations | Image 551755
Margiela breaks fashion auction records in France The buzz around the SS90 collection exceeds expectations | Image 551745

True to the ethics and staging of Martin Margiela's early collections, the clothes were displayed in an alternative venue amidst damaged walls and rubble. The mannequins wore Margiela’s traditional veil masks and printed paper Tabi boots. Some pieces sold for ten times their estimated value. Lot 34, for example, a black-and-white polka-dot wool suit from the SS90 collection, originally estimated at between €2,500 and €3,500, sold for €101,400, 28 times the initial price. Among all the collections featured in this auction, the SS90 show stood out the most, creating a sensation.

Margiela breaks fashion auction records in France The buzz around the SS90 collection exceeds expectations | Image 551753
Margiela breaks fashion auction records in France The buzz around the SS90 collection exceeds expectations | Image 551747
Margiela breaks fashion auction records in France The buzz around the SS90 collection exceeds expectations | Image 551754
Margiela breaks fashion auction records in France The buzz around the SS90 collection exceeds expectations | Image 551748
Margiela breaks fashion auction records in France The buzz around the SS90 collection exceeds expectations | Image 551750
Margiela breaks fashion auction records in France The buzz around the SS90 collection exceeds expectations | Image 551758
Margiela breaks fashion auction records in France The buzz around the SS90 collection exceeds expectations | Image 551757
Margiela breaks fashion auction records in France The buzz around the SS90 collection exceeds expectations | Image 551753
Margiela breaks fashion auction records in France The buzz around the SS90 collection exceeds expectations | Image 551747

A collection that propelled Martin Margiela to the forefront of the international scene and became a visual manifesto for the rest of his career, encapsulating the designer’s sartorial concepts of transformation, scale, repurposing vintage patterns, and exposing production methods. While the previous auction record for a single Margiela ensemble stood (according to Kerry Taylor Auctions) at €32,500, it was completely shattered by Martin Margiela, The Early Years: 1988-1994, which nearly multiplied that record 60 times over. The interest generated by this auction clearly shows that such pivotal moments still resonate today with museums, archives, passionate collectors, and the general public. Although Martin Margiela's rarely revealed face was not seen in the crowd, who knows—he may have come to bid farewell to his creations. One thing is certain: his collector pieces were honored and appreciated for their true value.