Unassuming knits, leather bombers and paired down denim targeting low-key fashion boys keep the eponymous house of Martin Margiela going. But from the inception of the ellusive Belgian designer’s label, his image has been marked by the break-apart, put-back-together styles of deconstructed clothing. For fall, he showed tuxedo tops morphing into satin skirts; sleeves turned inside out, exposed lining and patchwork knits bunch together to sublime effects. And not since the intellectual fashion statement years of the mid-nineties has Margiela’s signature aesthetic been so pertinent. Fashion is embarking on one of its thinking periods and the heady potion of deconstruction is leading the way. The frayed edges and re-stitched up denim has earned Undercover the title of hit Japanese label du jour. At Bruno Pieters, stitched up paneling and patchwork done up in contrasting fabrics with uneven seams deemed him even more cerebral that his Belgian counterpart Raf Simons. It was total apocalyptic breakdown and rebuilding at Bora Asku. Preen literally turned Burberrry trenches inside out and retailers across Europe are already selling collections including Robert Normand, David David (Tracey Emin’s assistant) and Lanvin‘s rife with top stitching, uneven edges, and frayed hemlines. Even a recent J Lo ensemble from YSL showing off dangling strips and made from patches of fabric suggested deconstruction. It’s all things nineties again. Don’t DIY, Deconstruct!

- Martin Margiela
Photo: Bora Asku fall 2003