Maison Margiela’s Spring/Summer 2026 show unfolded as a quiet rebellion against perfection. Glenn Martens reimagined the house’s codes with a collection that balanced structure and softness, wearability and experimentation, all underscored by a deliberate sense of human imperfection.
The show opened with sixty-one children from Romilly-sur-Seine performing Mozart, Strauss, and Beethoven — slightly offbeat, beautifully imperfect. Their unsteady orchestra became the heartbeat of the collection: raw, emotional, and honest. Models followed in silence, their mouths held open by Margiela’s Four-Stitch mouthpieces — an eerie nod to anonymity and the brand’s enduring fascination with uniformity.
Tailoring led the story. Jackets were cut to reveal tuxedo-style waistcoat fronts, with rounded shoulders and deep armholes that traced the body’s line. Low-slung trousers lengthened the silhouette, while wool, leather, and denim brought the precision of tailoring into new, adaptable territory. Trench coats and jackets featured lapels that folded inward or disappeared entirely, leaving behind clean lines and subtle construction.
Then came the unravelling. Slip dresses layered over blazers, gathered loosely with visible tape. Suit linings turned outward to become outerwear, blurring the line between what’s meant to be seen and what’s meant to stay hidden. Knitwear embossed with paper prints mimicked peeling wallpaper, while silk dresses bloomed with scanned florals, their patterns shaped by the fabric’s folds. Every crease, every imperfection, felt intentional.
Eveningwear fused function and elegance: silk scarves permanently attached to jackets, plasticized silk coats doubling as rainwear, and clusters of recycled jewelry sealed under resin. The effect was both experimental and grounded — couture built to live in the world.
Footwear continued Margiela’s dialogue with its own archive. Heel-less pumps and boots returned, the Tabi Claw appeared in ready-to-wear with a clear plexi heel, and sandals balanced on moulded plexi bases. Even sneakers evolved, their exaggerated straps wrapping the foot like a sculpture. The new Box Bag — soft leather with thermo-formed edges — could transform into a clutch, merging utility with quiet sophistication.
The palette began restrained — black, white, grey — before shifting into pale pinks, powder blues, and washed greens. As the children’s orchestra closed with a tender, imperfect rendition of The Blue Danube, the message was clear: beauty doesn’t need to be flawless.
Martens’s Margiela isn’t about spectacle or nostalgia; it’s about tension — between control and release, precision and play. For Spring/Summer 2026, the house celebrated imperfection as proof of life, finding modern elegance in what’s unpolished, unguarded, and deeply human.
Watch the whole runway show below: