MMM = FASHION'S INVISIBLE MAN

Margiela has been actively trading on a philosophy of anonymity for 25 years. An important part of the cult appeal of the brand is based on its erasure of individual identity, and the promotion of the creative collective team. Anonymity at Maison Margiela meant that clothes spoke for themselves, and not on the personalities of whoever made them. This cult of impersonality spread through the aesthetic of the brand:

SIGNAGE: Stores are never listed in phone books or identified with signage.

UNIFORMS: Staff at stores and at Margiela HQ wear standard white lab coats.

COLORS: White - called “whites” in Margielaspeak - is the ubiquitous color of all stores, Margiela HQ, and of the sheets that covered all in-store furniture and displays.

PACKAGING: Margiela packaging is monochrome and logo free.

MODELS: Runway models at MMM more than any other designer often appear on the runway with covered faces.

RUNWAY SHOWS: Seating is mostly first-come, first-served, avoiding the industry standard of seating hierarchy.

COLLECTIVE SPEAKING: The brand used a first person plural response to all requests, emphasizing the collaborative, disciple-like consensus of their thoughts.

PHOTOGRAPHY: As Derek McCormack wrote in The National Post, the aesthetic of MMM’s photography “is reminiscent of spiritualist photography of the 19th century: Models are mysterious blurs, shots are bleached by unseen lights.”