Artisanal
Artisanal is our haute couture collection. It refers to garments, accessories, and objects made by hand by our team. Introduced in 1989 and recognised by the Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture in 2012, it is the origin and laboratory of the Maison’s creative language.
Our couture language originates in a radical proposition: to treat the overlooked, the discarded, and the everyday as the raw material of couture, refined through handcraft and technical mastery. The first Artisanal piece – created nearly 40 years ago - was a vest made of found broken porcelain pieces from Autumm Winter 1989.
The history of Artisanal is rooted in the house’s early design ethos of repurposing: vintage garments, reclaimed textiles, and everyday objects such as porcelain shards, hair combs, playing cards, and metal bottle caps are transformed within the Artisanal vocabulary into objects of inherent value through technique and handcraft.
At its core, Artisanal is shaped by teamwork. Each piece is developed through shared expertise and ongoing exchange within our Paris atelier. Craft is understood as a collective practice, built over time through collaboration and the transmission of techniques.
Our Artisanal collections have been presented during Paris Haute Couture Week since 2012. Through the presentation of each collection, a world takes shape, allowing our history, codes, and values to be experienced in a new context.
As part of MaisonMargiela/folders – a documentation initiative conceived by our team to share the ideas and values that define the house - 58 Artisanal pieces from 1989 until today were presented in an open exhibition in Shanghai. The exhibition was arranged into themes that reflect our ongoing explorations- upcycling, deconstruction, trompe l’oeil, archetypes, raw materials, and the transformation of the everyday.
