Tabi
The Tabi is the house's first shoe design, presented during our first collection in 1988. Inspired by a 15th century Japanese sock design, cut to follow the contour of the foot.
For Martin Margiela’s first-ever show, he transformed the traditionally flat shoe into a heeled boot and dipped the soles in red paint, allowing the boots to leave split-toed footprints as models walked the white runway.
Since its creation, the Tabi has been reimagined in multiple forms and materials, a canvas for the house’s innovation. The original design was cut to follow the natural contour of the foot and elevated on a wide cylindrical heel mirroring the diameter of the human heel, a shape we continue to recreate today.
In an artisanal process, every stage is carried out by hand. Preparing the base takes up to four hours, followed by the mould: cut from a block of wood, then stitching, and assembly. The practice gathers 11 artisans, each with their specific expertise, and each shoe is finished with a single white stitch.
As part of MaisonMargiela/Folders, conceived by our team to share the ideas and values that define the house, through an exhibition in Chengdu we presented for the first time the personal collections of Tabi collectors from around the world, offering an intimate look at how the silhouette is lived with, preserved, customised, and cherished.
