If you're planning a trip to Paris in the coming months, a visit to Lafayette Anticipations is a must, where Belgian fashion legend Martin Margiela is presenting his first solo exhibition. Opened on October 20 and running until January 2, 2022, the exhibition showcases Margiela’s evolution from a groundbreaking fashion designer to a contemporary artist, highlighting how modeling, models, and the work of model agencies have long intersected with creative innovation.
Margiela, who stepped away from the fashion industry in 2008, now approaches his work through installations, sculptures, collages, paintings, and film—moving beyond traditional clothing design. The exhibition explores “seeing the important in the banal,” as curator Rebecca Lamarche-Vadel explained to Artnet, demonstrating that the artistic mindset behind fashion and modeling can extend far beyond garments on the runway.
Featuring over 40 new works, the show invites visitors to navigate a maze-like experience, engaging with human hair in various stages of life, stills from photo development processes, and even full-scale bus shelters draped in faux fur. Much like models moving through a runway show, visitors flow through Margiela’s vision, immersing themselves in the narrative of transformation, creativity, and the conceptual underpinnings of fashion.
Lafayette Anticipations positions the exhibition as proof that Margiela has always been an artist, experimenting within and outside the fashion system. Margiela himself has described this transition as essential, stating that he developed an early obsession with fashion but now seeks creative freedom in other mediums. This shift resonates with the work of models and model agencies, who often operate at the intersection of art, fashion, and presentation, shaping how audiences perceive clothing, identity, and expression.
Margiela’s influence on fashion, modeling, and creative design remains unmistakable. His innovative approach in the 1980s and 1990s—through deconstructed garments, iconic Tibi shoes, and avant-garde presentation—helped elevate fashion into an art form. Contemporary designers, models, and model agencies continue to draw inspiration from his boundary-pushing vision, proving that fashion and modeling are not just commercial ventures but platforms for artistic exploration.
As Margiela introduces his work to the gallery world, including a high-profile reveal at FIAC in Paris, it’s clear that his conceptual vision transcends both fashion and traditional modeling. By reframing how we engage with form, structure, and visual storytelling, the exhibition underscores the enduring synergy between models, modeling, model agencies, and the limitless possibilities of creative expression.
