Hermès

When Martin Margiela was appointed creative director of Hermès in April 1997, there were many who wondered how the most avant-garde designer ever could match his iconoclastic spirit with the ultimate luxury brand. The truth is he did it so brilliantly that no one could ever mistake a garment designed by Martin for his own label with those created for the French Maison from 1997 to 2003. The Hermès by Margiela collections were composed of ultra-minimal, no-frills garments made of insane materials in neutral colors, conceived to be layered and go unnoticed. A concept of understated luxury that did not exist at those levels before and actually set a new standard.