Margiela x Mackintosh

When is a brand not a brand? When it’s Margiela. Since the late 1980s, the Belgian atelier has been authoring an anti-fashion aesthetic that has somewhat paradoxically become the champagne and caviar of the beau monde, owing to the label’s intrepid innovation and subversive regard for the laws of luxury. The much-fabled brand owes its shroud of mystery not just to a taste for utility and deconstruction, but to the conduct of the house, whether it’s evading any extended contact with the press, or insisting on a uniform of lab coats for all members of staff, from interns and factory workers all the way up to the top. Finally, as part of a pleasingly cued collaboration with Mackintosh, the iconic blouse blanche can now be yours – no longer the stuff of legend.

The two-piece capsule opens with an edition firmly faithful to the original, its ice-white hue formalized by tone-on-tone horn buttons, brushed steel eyelets beneath the arm, and exceeding the length of the standard Mac for a truly distinctive outerwear piece. The second leans more towards the traditional Mackintosh, reimagining an archive cut with a marked Margiela flavour, appealing to the celebrated décortiqué technique which defined the SS17 collection. In a smoky grey gabardine, the design falls with a slight flare thanks to side slits at the hem, finished with a bold contrast collar and a belted back for a contemporary frame that’s charged with tradition. There’s a piece that will turn the avant-garde into faithful followers.