Against the backdrop of film visuals and music, fashion aesthetics are often better expressed. For Maison Margiela’s Artistic Director, John Galliano, he must surely agree. In the brand’s Fall 2021 haute couture collection, they once again presented new works in the form of a film, enlisting Oscar-winning director Oliver Dahan to direct a half-hour fashion film “A Folk Horror Tale” – telling a folk horror story.
The film uses dark tones, with John Galliano referencing old photos of fishermen for inspiration. The story revolves around a group of fishermen who are isolated, silent, and repressed by the outside world. They wear medieval-style clothing, tailored fitted jackets paired with loose trousers, or high-waisted pants made of waterproof fabric, topped with small hats resembling medieval pirates, creating a highly dramatic image.
As with the brand’s past handling methods, the series features designs that cannot be transformed from old clothes. The shoulders, sleeves, waist, or hem of each piece of clothing have undergone multiple deconstructions and reorganizations. The sewing parts deliberately leave many imperfect threads, as well as incomplete tears and flaws.
In addition, John Galliano also uses stone washing to fade the originally luxurious and beautiful fabrics into dark tones. Set against a backdrop of purple-red fiery clouds, a series of meticulously distressed deconstructed haute couture garments in the film exude a dark and eerie romantic aesthetic.
Learn more: Maison Margiela
