Martin Margiela’s Inside Joke: Getting to the Heart of MMM for H&M Bullett Media

On November 10th, hundreds — perhaps thousands — of “placid fashion advocates” marched in San Francisco and in eight other countries with a seemingly manufactured protest in favor of H&M’s new collaboration with Maison Martin Margiela. The result is a collection expected to sell out today.

Note that Martin Margiela left his house in 2009, and questions about meaning and intention in the House of Margiela current owners Renzo Rosso’s OTB Group, which also owns Viktor & Rolf and Diesel. Critics of the H&M/Martin Margiela collaboration are questioning what it means to buy supposed anti-fashion from the most mainstream rag trade company on the planet — Swedish retailer H&M, the world’s second largest retailer after Zara.

WWD reports that crowds were smaller than expected in Paris this morning, but the racks did clear out. Color-coded bracelets, a hallmark of H&M designer launches, weren’t necessary to control access to the store and the staff had time to hand out coffee and croissants.

Is Bullett writer Fiona Duncan correct when she postulates that Maison Margiela is actually beng subversive in their H&M collaboration?  Consider the possibility: