In conjunction with his Maison Martin Margiela menswear collection that showed at Paris Fashion Week on Friday, the designer launched his first episode of The Memory of … With John Galliano on iTunes. According to the podcast’s description, the show “tells a story usually only heard by select fashion insiders. It takes you on a journey to Creative Director Galliano’s Paris atelier where he personally reveals the thinking behind his first Artisanal Men’s Show.”
The description continues on to read: “He speaks to new definitions of masculinity and femininity, his introduction of bias cut to menswear and the sensuality it brings to a tailored suit and the current regeneration of menswear with new top designers at luxury houses.” What does “artisanal men’s show” mean? Your guess is as good as ours.
The Cut describes it as “artisanal fashion ASMR” and that is just about right. You’re not entirely sure what Galliano’s talking about as he narrates the collection, though it seems to have something to do with “cutting” the fabric differently as a way to redefine masculinity and femininity. There are also lots of references to basting! In this case, basting means not preparing a turkey, rather using temporary straight stitches to hold layers together.
He talks about cutting garments on the bias, which means cutting the fabric at a forty-five-degree angle to the length of the fabric. It’s a method not traditionally used for menswear, but the designer emphasized it for his SS19 collection. After the show, Galliano said, “The natural elasticity (of the bias) is the most modern thing any guy could wear. It’s liberating, it’s light, it gives you an illustrative line, it’s relaxed-looking and it’s sensual.”
Listen to the first episode of his podcast here.