Fostering the designers of tomorrow, MM6 Maison Margiela has teamed up with first-year MFA Fashion Design students and The Arts at Parsons Paris. Starting in the fall of last year, MM6 tasked the students with a design prompt; they were told to reinterpret the codes of MM6 through their own personal lens. The students from Parsons Paris Were assigned to design from one of the following Margiela themes; Trompe-l’œil, Utilitarian, Multifunctional, Ready when worn, Circle, Self-reference, and Unexpected matches.

Under the direction of both the Parsons Paris faculty and the MM6 Maison Margiela creative team, the designers worked towards the end goal of three variations on three garments and/or objects, with the task of making each piece able to transform through either proportion, material, or size. An emphasis on sustainability was another prominent design prompt, with students gaining access to deadstock and leftover materials from MM6.

In addition to the pieces designed, the students also edited a newspaper for their work as a reference to Margiela’s use of the newspaper throughout the brand’s history. Instead of documenting their own work for the newspaper, the students were tasked with photographing and directing the shoots for their peers’ work, making the print piece a fully collaborative project.

The five month long project has resulted in designs that are experimental in form, materiality, silhouette, and utility. The determination to experiment outside of the bounds of traditional design is something that fashion students commonly strive for, with a similar passion to experiment engraved into the codes of MM6 Maison Margiela.

This common urge between the students and the subverted fashion brand has led to a collection that is a promising reminder that the designers of the future are intent on making some noise.

The creative exchange between MM6 Maison Margiela and the MFA Fashion Design and The Arts program at Parsons Paris will be exhibited on May 11, 2023 at the Parsons Paris campus at 45 rue St-Roch, 75001.