By Jessica Ye (Jessica Yap)
The industry gaze remains fixed on the New York schedules this week. However, Maison Margiela has pivoted East with a clinical precision that demands a different kind of attention. The house has confirmed it will show its AW26 Ready-to-Wear collection in Shanghai on 1 April 2026. This move is more than a geographic shift. It is a strategic alignment with the Chinese market’s appetite for high-concept fashion. The showcase arrives alongside a series of exhibitions across Beijing, Chengdu, and Shenzhen.
Under Glenn Martens, the house continues to prioritise the foundational pillars established by Martin Margiela and Jenny Meirens. The most significant of these is the refusal of the individual. This concept will be the central focus of a dedicated mask exhibition in Beijing.
The Digital Laboratory
Martens is opening the Maison Margiela Dropbox. This is a digital repository containing internal research and archival material dating back to 1988.
Titled “MaisonMargiela/folders,” the project offers a raw look at the evolution of the house. It echoes the spirit of the SS1990 playground show. It removes the gatekeepers and allows the viewer into the creative laboratory.
For a brand defined by its invisibility, this digital reveal is a calculated tactic to maintain a sense of mystery in an age of total exposure.
A Multi-City Mapping of the DNA
The Shanghai show acts as the anchor for a cultural mapping of China. Each location explores a specific technical tenet of the Margiela archive.
• Shanghai (2-6 April): “Artisanal: Creative Laboratory.” This features forty-eight pieces spanning from 1989 to 2025.
• Beijing (7-12 April): “Anonymity: Our History of Masks.” This traces the house’s relationship with absence and the obscured face.
• Chengdu (9-13 April): “Tabi: Collectors.” This provides an exhaustive look at the split-toe silhouette.
• Shenzhen (11-12 April): “Bianchetto: Atelier Experience.” Guests are invited to bring personal items to be transformed by the signature white-paint technique.
This is not a standard touring exhibition. These are tactical touchpoints designed to reinforce the house’s material authority. By involving the public in the Bianchetto process, Margiela turns the consumer into an active participant in the narrative.
The future of fashion intellectualism is no longer confined to Paris. It is manifesting in Shanghai.
