“The Artist is Absent,” A Short Documentary About Martin Margiela Premieres Online this Month

Fashion loves a spectacle, which works out well since very few designers don’t enjoy the spotlight. Sure, someone like Raf Simons might prefer to let his designs do the talking, but we all know what he looks like and even he agreed to be filmed for the Dior and I documentary.

Martin Margiela will make no such concessions. The notoriously press-averse designer may as well be an urban legend by now. No one really knows what he looks like, save for a single portrait of him taken somewhere around 1997, and when director Alison Chernick reached out, he provided her with names of people who might tell his story best, but did not sit down in front of the camera himself.

Luckily, Chernick got what she needed out of them—people like designer Jean-Paul Gaultier and fashion critic Suzy Menkes were more than happy to talk talk Margiela with her. Paired with archival footage from Maison Martin Margiela, she was able to piece together a story. The final piece will premiere on Yoox, The Corner, and Shoescribe on April 27. Until then, here’s a preview clip to tide you over.

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