EcoCouture gets a French Twist

Date: January 31, 2007 | Category: Events, Fashion

The unmitigated glamour, style, and exclusivity of the haute couture shows
in Paris can sometimes seem a long
way off from the eco-fashion frontier, but Maison Martin Margiela straddles
both worlds with aplomb. Margiela, fashion radical and former head designer of
Hermès, has actually been upcycling old clothes and other flea market finds for
his own creations since the go-go 80s. Last year his fashion house was tapped
by the infamously selective Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture to show as a
guest member during this past couture week, which wrapped up on the 25th. In a
static presentation, Margiela showed 24 pieces, including a roundly praised
shift comprised of le marché aux puces painted canvases. Other successes
were the “February” menswear duffle bag-become-jacket and a trench
made from 40 shopping bags. Avant garde, sustainable, and truly fashionable. Seems this is a design
dare to his esteemed colleagues. Let’s hope they take him up on the challenge! In
this climate, I have big hopes that they just might. Read more and see more
images of the Margiela collection here, here, and here. 

Photo credit: Christopher Moore/Karl Prouse for International Herald Tribune.

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