Designer Glenn Martens, the new Creative Director of Maison Margiela, has unveiled his debut couture collection. Why is his arrival at the French fashion house such a good move?
Masks that fully obscure models’ faces. Deconstructed silhouettes inspired by Flemish medieval architecture. Fabrics that don’t just drape — they pour, like molten gold. Gothic sculptural forms. Prints evoking Renaissance paintings and frescoes… These are the visual codes of the Artisanal collection for Maison Margiela, with which Belgian designer Glenn Martens made his debut for Haute Couture Fall 2025 in Paris.
This year has seen an unprecedented wave of leadership changes in the fashion world, with new creative directors stepping in at Dior, Chanel, Gucci, Valentino, and others — Maison Margiela among them. In January, 42-year-old Glenn Martens was named Creative Director of the label founded in 1988 by Martin Margiela. Margiela left his own house in 2009, disillusioned by the pressure the industry places on creativity, turning his focus instead to art.
Martens replaces John Galliano, who helmed Maison Margiela for 10 years. While Glenn Martens may not be as widely known as the flamboyant and often controversial Galliano, he’s built an impressive career and earned significant industry recognition. In 2016, Martens was a finalist in the LVMH Prize, and in 2017, he won the prestigious ANDAM Fashion Award.
He first gained attention in 2012 when he launched his own label, Glenn Martens, which ran for three seasons. From 2013 to 2024, he led design at the avant-garde brand Y/Project, known for experimental, genre-blurring work — including a memorable collaboration with Melissa on shoes inspired by Victorian vases. In 2020, Martens was named Creative Director of Diesel, a role he still holds alongside his position at Margiela. At Diesel, he continues to push the boundaries of streetwear, playing with asymmetry and creating offbeat garments like jean-boots.
Though best known for his street-style mastery, Martens is no stranger to haute couture. In 2022, he was a guest designer for Jean Paul Gaultier’s couture line. Gaultier didn’t notice Martens by chance — they already knew each other, and the legendary designer was well aware of what the talented Belgian was capable of. Martens graduated from the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp — the same prestigious school that produced Martin Margiela, Ann Demeulemeester, Dries Van Noten, and Dirk Bikkembergs. Right after graduation, his first move was to join Jean Paul Gaultier as a junior designer.
Glenn Martens is, in many ways, a quintessential product of the Antwerp school — a fan of deconstruction, dramatic wow moments, and trompe l’oeil illusions. He skillfully blends street style with avant-garde aesthetics. His Gaultier collection was full of tongue-in-cheek visual tricks: lingerie dresses with painted-on undergarments, Op Art prints, and playful experiments with corsetry and volume.
Glenn Martens’ appointment at Maison Margiela feels like a natural progression — and the designer agrees. “I’m part of the Margiela generation too. And I believe Martin is more than just a designer — he’s a school of thought that changed the way many people think,” he said in an interview.
And chances are, he’ll never forget exactly how the appointment came about. Martens had just bought a small house in Normandy and went there for a few days, living — let’s put it mildly — in spartan conditions: no electricity, no water, no heat. His return trip to “civilization,” to Paris, was interrupted by a call from a lawyer: “Pull over immediately — we need to sign the Margiela contract.” The nearest convenient place turned out to be a Burger King. The lawyer met him there, and Martens — “with hay in my hair,” as he recalls — signed the contract. The very next morning, he showed up at the atelier to greet his new colleagues.
At Maison Margiela, Martens says he wants to “talk about clothing.” For him, silhouettes, design, the artistry of haute couture, and experimentation — not marketing or sales — should come first. That’s why depersonalization became the central device in his Maison Margiela Haute Couture Fall 2025 collection. Each model wore a uniquely designed mask — made from ultra-light fabric, metal, or plastic — sculptural forms that fully concealed their faces. Because, as Martens believes, nothing should distract from the clothes. Martin Margiela shared this view. Back in 1989, at his first show, he covered his models’ faces — and continued to do so in later collections. So now, as Glenn Martens works on the next chapter in the Maison Margiela story, he does so with both joy and reverence, thoughtfully rereading the pages that came before. And we’re reading right along with him.
Photo: Vostock Photo
