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A model backstage at Margiela AW95
A model backstage at Margiela AW95Anders Edstrom, via the New York Times

There’s a documentary coming out about the mysterious Martin Margiela

Without Compromise is set to be released next year, with the Belgian designer collaborating on a film for the very first time

It’s a great time for fashion documentaries at the moment. Following Vivienne Westwood’s denounced film, and the upcoming Alexander McQueen doc, London film company Dogwoof has announced it will be releasing a film on Martin Margiela next year.

Directed by Reiner Holzemer – who brought you the Dries Van Noten documentary last year – the film has been made in collaboration with Margiela, who is notoriously secretive.“We’re thrilled to work on the story of such an enigmatic and mysterious designer,” the distributor told Variety. “Extraordinarily, it’s the first time Margiela has agreed to be part of any film about his life or work.”

Of course, this isn’t the first film dedicated to Margiela. In 2015, The Artist is Absent was released, directed by Alison Chernick and featured rare archive show footage, as well as interviews with his contemporaries and collaborators. In 2017, We Margiela took a closer look at the inner team of the house – including Jenny Meirens, who sadly passed away last year. 

Little is known about what the latest film will feature, and if Margiela himself will even appear, although it’s unlikely, given that no official photograph of him has ever been released. Could it feature the current creative director John Galliano in conversation with the label’s founder? Maybe.

Hopefully, the documentary will give a glimpse into a fashion house that revolutionised the industry, and unpack the enduring influence that still leads brands even today. In the meantime, read more on the exhibition dedicated to the designer currently open at the Palais Galliera in Paris.