Maison Margiela launches “Line 2,” and no, it has nothing to do with fashion

Maison Margiela has just unveiled the latest addition to its legendary numerical system. The new Line 2 does not translate into a wardrobe or accessories, but something much more abstract: “intangible products.” A platform for collaborations with artists and cultural figures that will debut on September 3 in Seoul, with an installation by visual artist Heemin Chung and sound designer Joyul. The premiere coincides with the Frieze international contemporary art fair and will be held at the brand’s flagship store.

Since its founding, Margiela has played with the idea of mystery in its business lines. Its white label, sewn with four visible stitches, coded each line with a number: from 0 (Artisanal) to 23 (advertising). A kind of internal nomenclature that turned fashion into a secret system and, over time, became a cult language among insiders. In this taxonomy, the best known is 6 (MM6), as it is a brand in itself.

But let’s go back to “Line 2.” With it, the maison is not selling clothes, it is offering another layer of connection with its audience. Gaetano Sciuto, CEO of Margiela, explained to BoF that for him, intangible products are something that goes beyond a simple purchase. It’s about connection, about being part of a community. And no further explanation is needed. It’s no longer about owning something from Margiela, but about being part of a shared story, even if it’s just by looking at an object.

The Maison Margiela case is part of a global movement: luxury brands are organizing events around the art world. These are not simply aesthetic displays, but carefully calculated operations to position the maisons in a broader cultural arena, engage in dialogue with local artists, and consolidate prestige in key markets. In this arena, art has become the common language of luxury.

Margiela’s decision to dedicate an issue of his magazine to the “intangible” does not break new ground; it formalizes a practice already established in the industry. What one would expect from a brand like Maison Margiela, which was born as an experimental brand and that was its unique selling point, is difference. But Line 2 responds more to a shared logic in which fashion and culture merge into a single battlefield.

Rather than a groundbreaking gesture, Line 2 seems to confirm that Margiela has decided to play the same game as the rest of contemporary luxury: art as a channel for legitimization and communication. It presents it as an experimental exploration, but in reality it responds to a logic that is already standardised in the industry. Exhibitions, installations and collaborations with artists have become the new uniform of the maisons, a resource as common as it is effective. Margiela wraps it in the aura of its numerical mysticism, but the strategy is shared: to turn art into marketing merchandise.

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