Glenn Martens is the new creative director of Maison Margiela

Glenn Martens takes over the creative leadership of Maison Margiela, it was officially announced today. ‘I have worked with Glenn for years, I have witnessed his skills and I know what he is capable of,’ said Renzo Rosso, president of OTB. ‘After Martin, who cemented the Maison and its Artisanal line, and John, who made Margiela the most avant-garde couture house in the world, it is an honour to welcome a third couturier to the helm of this institution,’ commented Rosso, highlighting the legacy that Martens, trained at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp like Margiela.

The Belgian designer, who will retain his position as Diesel’s creative director, replaces John Galliano, who was at the helm of Margiela from 2014 until last year. Martens’ appointment had been speculated for months, especially following his departure from Y/Project in September 2024, which closed its doors shortly afterwards. His success at the helm of Diesel, coupled with the irreverent brilliance he brought to Y/Project, makes him the ideal candidate for this new challenge.

In a recent interview with Vogue Business, Renzo Rosso already hinted that Martens was the perfect profile to fit the Maison’s legacy. ‘Glenn is not just a designer, he’s a couturier. Like John Galliano, his approach has something different: every piece he creates has a story to tell,’ said Rosso, who was already anticipating the inevitable as rumours about the brand’s creative future gathered pace.

Bruges-born Martens, 41, responded with wry calm to speculation about his future in a recent conversation with Vogue Business. ‘Right now I’m focused on raising chickens,’ he joked, a response that reflects his relaxed and somewhat hermetic approach to the fashion world. Yet this disdainful attitude towards the media noise is perfectly in keeping with the subversive and timeless spirit of Maison Margiela, whose aesthetic has been breaking conventions since its founding.

The parallels between the careers of Martens and his predecessor, the mysterious Martin Margiela, are intriguing. The two share not only the same nationality, but also similar training at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp: Margiela in 1979 and Martens in 2008. The connection becomes even closer in Paris, where both began their careers at Jean Paul Gaultier: Margiela in 1984, Martens in 2008. However, their paths soon forked: while Margiela founded his own label in 1988, Martens took over as head of Y/Project in 2013, making his mark on the brand before making the leap to Diesel.

If Martin Margiela is synonymous with anonymity and mystique, Martens is distinguished by his affable character, his ease of communication and his profound reflection on design. In the documentary Martin Margiela: In His Own Words (2019), Margiela confessed: ‘Sometimes I regret that I had to make this decision to protect myself, because it is difficult to make a name for yourself without putting a face to it. But I knew I could offer more if I felt protected’. A desire for anonymity that, although contradictory to fashion tradition, cemented Margiela’s legend. Martens, on the other hand, faces the future with the ambition to build a personal narrative and a legacy of his own.

OTB, the conglomerate that acquired a majority stake in the house in 2002, worked alongside Margiela until he left in 2009. Subsequently, the firm was run by a collective until Galliano’s arrival in 2014. Under Galliano’s leadership, Margiela reached new heights of international prominence, particularly in the realm of haute couture, where the most recent collections, such as Artisanal Spring 2024, were considered milestones of contemporary fashion. The iconic Met Gala of 2024, where Galliano dressed Kim Kardashian and Zendaya, further cemented the brand’s power, while Tabi footwear emerged as the cult product par excellence.

In 2020, Martens took over as Diesel’s creative director, putting his stamp on the brand in a decisive way. In 2023, Diesel’s sales grew by 13%, with a notable focus on Generation Z, which now accounts for 36% of sales. His launch of the 1DR bag and his expansion of the women’s line marked a before and after for the brand, catapulting Diesel into a new era of commercial relevance.

Martens, renowned for his commercial talent and ability to revitalise brands, is ‘honoured’ to take on this new challenge at the helm of Maison Margiela. ‘It is a unique house that has inspired the world for decades. I thank Renzo for the trust he has placed in me,’ said the Belgian designer.

However, the challenge ahead of him is monumental. John Galliano left an indelible mark on the brand, transforming Margiela into a benchmark of avant-garde haute couture. While Diesel has been his great commercial success, Margiela’s haute couture represents a more complex and experimental terrain. Despite his proven ability for luxury couture, the maison’s future lies in the hands of Martens, who will have to navigate between the brand’s tradition and the modernity demanded by the new generation of consumers.

These are the rumours about possible creative signings in the fashion world.