Is Shanghai Is the New Paris?
Margiela leaves Paris for Shanghai — and folds couture into ready-to-wear for the first time.
Maison Margiela just staged its first show outside Paris — in a Shanghai shipping dock. Not a quiet move. The room pulled in a sharper international crowd than recent seasons, with buyers and editors flying back in.
Under John Galliano, the show blurred Artisanal couture and ready-to-wear into one continuous story — a first for the house, but very Margiela in spirit. It leaned into process, transformation, and that slightly unsettling beauty they’ve always done best.
Set under a golden moon, with percussive beats and a haunting rework of Where the Wild Roses Grow, masked models moved in slow, almost ritual steps. The clothes whispered and clinked — beeswax, porcelain shards, gold leaf, reconstructed tapestries stitched into them.
The bigger shift? Luxury isn’t just exporting to Asia anymore — it’s showing up here. On Asia’s terms.