Nick Knight on memories

A single scent has the power to transport to another time, place or moment. Elusive fashion house Maison Martin Margiela’s fragrances have always stayed true to the brand’s house codes referencing and reminiscing their signature aesthetics. Now, photographer Nick Knight and SHOWstudio have collaborated with the Parisian brand on an exhibition devoted to the relationship between scent and memory. SHOWcabinet invites artists such as Fashion East designer Claire Barrow and illustrator Helen Bullock to depict a personal memory associated with Margiela’s Replica perfumes. The results are displayed in museum-like cabinets, alongside a perfume bar and Haute Couture pieces, relating to the notions of memory. Here, Nick Knight shares his personal memories.

Dazed Digital: What's the earliest memory you can remember?

Nick Knight: The ' winklepicker ' shoes of the biker who lived next door to my family.  

DD: Which scent triggers strong memories for you?

Nick Knight: Serge Lutens. 

DD: What's the scent of your childhood?

Nick Knight: My grandmother wearing Dior's Diorissimo.

DD: Fondest memory to date?

Nick Kinght: I don't look to the past for happiness, the future is always more exciting.  

DD: Strongest memory from your teenage years?

Nick Knight: Discovering soul music. 

DD: How did you go about capturing memories for the SHOWstudio x Margiela exhibition?

Nick Knight: We asked 21 of the world’s most exciting fashion illustrators to try one of the new Margiela fragrances and draw the memory the fragrance evoked in them. 

DD: What memory do you which you could erase from your mind?

Nick Knight: None. I stand by all I have done.