John Galliano takes upon the power of vulnerability in his one-take theatre experience for Maison Margiela Artisanal AW22.
A universe of cinematic parallels of pain, grief and an urge to break through to the other side. These were the themes behind John Galliano’s staged one-act live theatre performance for Margiela’s artisanal show in Paris. Staging a live performance with models adopting different characters in a play about the oppression and pain caused by the abuse of patriarchal power, Galliano showcased power in his vulnerability of drawing parallels to personal moments of darkness and pain.
Weaving each memory, feeling, and painful recollection into the fabric of each garment, the couture collection encompassed historical cuts from menswear through jacquard coats, oversized army blazers sewn into couture finishes woven and embroidered, finished off with organza veils in womenswear. In a juxtaposition, classic womenswear silhouettes are stylised with hospital scrubs, slashed and spliced in a deeply painful way of reminiscence. The new technique of sandstorming further brings the movement and confusion of a sandstorm onto garments by the power of beading, parallel to the hazy power of psychological manipulation within societal structures.
As the 35 minute live action performance was staged and filmed, projected onto the screens and giving a different notion of post-digital performance showcased the impact cult films like A Streetcar Named Desire and Suddenly Last Summer have had on the designer, but most importantly giving him the tools to say something personal, vulnerable and important.
With Galliano, the garments take on an extension of life, a powerful vulnerability that we all feel whilst donning on a Maison Margiela garment, it places us in a state of raw honesty, as each hem, cut and stitch embody a meaning that we can all feel and connect to our unique lives, engaging in a live theatre performance with ourselves, fully present and vulnerable in a trial-and-error manner of figuring out what life means to us.
