With his unexpected yet precise vision, Martin Margiela is one of the most influential and iconoclastic designers to have emerged during the past fifteen years. Born in 1959 in Limbourg, Belgium, Margiela studied at Antwerp's Royal Academy and was part of the first wave of contemporary design talent that would emerge from that city. He began his professional career working alongside Jean Paul Gaultier and, in 1988, founded Maison Martin Margiela in Paris.

From 1997-2002, Margiela branched out by designing much-lauded womenswear for Hèrmes. His own label underwent a major expansion in 2002.