Maison Margiela Opens Its Archive in China

For Maison Margiela, deconstruction and anonymity are not aesthetic gestures but a way of thinking. This season, the house turns to its archive, not to look back, but to reconsider the ideas that continue to define it across China.

Titled Maison Margiela/folders, the project unfolds as a series of exhibitions built around the maison’s core codes. Rather than following a timeline, it isolates key concepts. Artisanal, Anonymity, Tabi and Bianchetto are treated as independent systems, each revealing a different aspect of the brand’s language.

The project opens in Shanghai with the Autumn Winter 2026 show, marking a rare presentation outside Paris. Under the direction of Glenn Martens, the house expands its context while remaining grounded in its original principles.

In Shanghai, Artisanal Creative Laboratory explores the role of craft as experimentation rather than decoration. In Beijing, Anonymity Our History of Masks examines the deliberate removal of identity, a concept central to the work of Martin Margiela. In Chengdu, Tabi Collectors shifts focus to the afterlife of design through its community. In Shenzhen, Bianchetto Atelier Experience brings process into direct interaction with the audience.

Alongside the physical exhibitions, the house introduces an unusual level of access. Its internal archive is made public through a digital platform, revealing research, images and working materials. For a brand historically defined by absence, this gesture reframes transparency as part of the concept.