Was John Galliano Too Galliano for Margiela?
John Galliano confirmed his exit from Maison Margiela on December 11 with a lengthy social media post that touched on basically everything: His work at the house, his creative process, his deeply troubled past, and even... those rumors.
Galliano took on creative director role at Margiela in 2014, making 2024 his tenth year at the fashion house. Owned by OTB Group, Diesel founder Renzo Rosso's Italian conglomerate, Margiela flourished under Galliano's reign.
Its commercial aspirations blossomed with hit products like the Glam Slam bag while its creative efforts evolved into some of the most admired in the industry, peaking with 2024's Artisanal show.
Objectively one of the most widely discussed couture collections in recent memory, Galliano's 2024 Margiela Artisanal line inspired viral social media videos, hit the Met Gala red carpet, and even inspired a touring exhibit, quite an achievement for a line intentionally not saleable.
Galliano's departure from Margiela is abrupt but not entirely surprising. Rumors of his exit from the house have cropped up since this past summer, accompanied by loads of overexcited whispers that Galliano is set to take over Dior, Fendi, and/or Chanel.
"The rumors... Everyone wants to know and everyone wants to dream," Galliano said in his note. "When the time is right, all will be revealed."
Dior would certainly be a solid fit for Galliano, as his tenure there was tremendously well received.
There've also been rumblings of Kim Jones' exit from Dior for the better part of a year, so Galliano may be the first domino in a series of major moves to come.
However, Galliano was fired in 2011 by Dior after a rant that reportedly, among other things, praised Hitler's genocide. Blaming the incident on addiction, Galliano sought rehabilitation and, several years later, quietly reemerged as the new head of Margiela.
"This is when the family — the fashion industry — is at its best: When we collectively support each other, not judge. When we accept fogive and help one another see the error of our ways," Galliano said in one of his letter's lengthy tangents. "With childlike eys and forgotton innocence, we make amends, believing in ourselves — for God is in all of us. Not when we cancel each other out. ... I felt guilty that my behavior perpetuated the sterotype that creativity had to be fueled by drink and drugs. ... SO WRONG."
Thoughts on cancel culture (for anti-Semitic rants, no less), aside, Galliano devotes much of his letter to praising OTB head Rosso and enigmatic house founder Martin Margiela.
Specifically, Galliano both mentions Margiela's "long-hidden wish" that a couturier like Galliano would lead his eponymous label and reiterates the advice he was given by Margiela before assuming the creative director role: "Take what you will from the DNA of the House, protect yourself, and make it your own... you know how to."
That's very much what Galliano did, infusing signature Margiela codes with his own perspective.
Touchstones like the house's signature four-stitch logo remained in place, so too did the fixation on upcycled and unusual materials, as disparate as Pendleton blankets and artificial hair, reframed by couture-level craft.
The Galliano difference was a newfound emphasis on approachable whimsy, exemplified by the dreamlike Artisanal collections and provocative ready-to-wear, which catered to a more casual consumer with athleisure-leaning items, ample branded bits, streetwear overtures, and much skewed tailoring.
The Tabi footwear line swelled to create and meet demand as Margiela sought greater financial wins.
It found those wins, to be sure, but at what cost? Galliano did indeed make Margiela his own, straying from the house's legacy in the process.
There was ample respect for house signatures but also a clear disparity between the saleable Margiela ready-to-wear of now and the avant creations of then.
That's not entirely Galliano's doing, to be sure, but he is the man behind the brand — a conceit that is itself unusual for a label that once shunned publicly visible leadership.
Look at MM6 Maison Margiela, which has spent the past few years evolving from mere sub-label to a tremendously popular standalone line.
Its creative director is not a ghost like Margiela himself but the MM6 maintains that level of removal from consumers and press — representatives will often ask writers to remove specific mentions of team members to maintain the brand's anonymity.
Some buyers have even told me in private that MM6, with its referential lookbooks and stylishly grounded garment deconstruction, is even more "Margiela" than the mainline collection.
There's no question that Galliano's Margiela was Galliano's Margiela, with the unrestrained Artisanal collections supercharging the house's presence in ways that the Margiela of old never could've conceived.
Certainly it was popular. But was it right for Margiela?
If the next talent that takes over Margiela reinstitutes the curtain of anonymity that once shrouded the fashion label, we'll know for sure.
