Photo: Conde Nast Archive
Ten years after leaving his namesake label—and fashion entirely—Martin Margiela received the Jury Prize at the Belgian Fashion Awards. Rather than arrive in person to collect his award, the famously reclusive Margiela sent a letter to be read in his absence at the ceremony.
The letter, originally published in Dazed, begins, “I am very touched and indeed honored to receive this award, here in my native country. Especially because I stepped down from fashion already 10 years ago.” Margiela goes on to remember his first fashion prize, won in Belgium, and to commend his home country for being the first to acknowledge his work with a museum exhibit at the MoMu Antwerp in 2017.
As for his departure from fashion, he noted that 2008 was “the very year I felt that I could not cope any more with the worldwide increasing pressure and the overgrowing demands of trade. I also regretted the overdose of information carried by social media, destroying the ‘thrill of wait’ and cancelling every effect of surprise, so fundamental for me.”
If that sounds like a pretty sick burn on the fashion industry, Margiela does say that he finds himself inspired by fashion once again, especially by certain contemporary brands—though he doesn’t mention which. “But today, I am happy to notice again a growing interest for creativity in fashion, by some upcoming designers.”
You’ll have to guess which young talents Margiela is referring to, though its worth noting that his fellow Belgian Glenn Martens of Y/Project took home the Designer of the Year Prize at the ceremony.
Below, read Margiela’s full address.
“I am very touched and indeed honored to receive this award, here in my native country.
Especially because I stepped down from fashion already 10 years ago.
This evening, my memory goes back to 1983 when I received, here in Brussels, my very first recognition: the second prize of the ‘Golden Spindle’ contest, handed to me by the then only foreign jury member, Jean Paul Gaultier.
Many say that fashion has a short memory as it is obsessed by actuality and novelty. But some recent exhibitions about my work exemplified the opposite. Again, my homeland Belgium was the first to honor my work at the MoMu Antwerp, and then my adoptive city Paris followed with two more, at Palais Galliera and Musée des Arts Décoratifs.
A beautiful tribute to a period of hard work and dedication starting at early age and lasting for more than 30 years, until 2008—the very year I felt that I could not cope any more with the worldwide increasing pressure and the overgrowing demands of trade. I also regretted the overdose of information carried by social media, destroying the ‘thrill of wait’ and cancelling every effect of surprise, so fundamental for me.
But today, I am happy to notice again a growing interest for creativity in fashion, by some upcoming designers.
This evening, I feel proud and fulfilled and I wish to thank wholeheartedly all of you for your precious support back then and today’s recognition.”
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