Maison Margiela and Gentle Monster continue to take their collaboration beyond the usual format of fashion partnerships. This time, the focus is on their fourth joint eyewear collection, built around the concept of deconstruction. Its presentation in Seoul became a performance in its own right, giving a physical dimension to the idea of dismantling familiar forms.
The performance was created by choreographer and creative director Damien Jalet and artist Ian McMahon. It began with the destruction of a plaster structure designed by McMahon, before unfolding through the dancers’ movements, their interactions with objects and the play of light. The space was in a constant state of transformation: structures lost their original shapes, bodies interacted with the remaining fragments, and destruction became the starting point for new movement.
It is a natural extension of Maison Margiela’s visual language, with deconstruction having long been one of the house’s defining creative principles. In fashion, it means rejecting conventional methods of construction: exposed seams, unfinished edges, displaced proportions and structures that would normally remain hidden. In the performance, the same approach was applied to the body, objects and the architecture of the stage.
Eyewear That Looks Unfinished
The collection, launching on October 29, comprises 68 styles: 43 sunglasses and 25 optical frames. Some feature deliberately distorted, almost compressed frames, while others stand out for their exaggerated volume and mask-like silhouettes that partially conceal the face. There are also narrow, upswept frames wrapped in leather-like material that resembles a second skin.
The temples retain Maison Margiela’s signature four white stitches. On slimmer styles, this familiar detail has been reinterpreted to make the stitches appear to float above the edges of the frames.
What matters here is that deconstruction functions as more than a visual effect. The familiar object remains recognisable, but its shape becomes unstable, as though the eyewear has been captured somewhere between construction and destruction. This sense of incompleteness lies at the heart of the collection.
From Eyewear to an Entire Brand Universe
The Seoul performance is just one part of the campaign. A short film directed by filmmaker and artist Alex Prager was also created for the collection. It follows a woman rushing to a meeting through a shifting world where eyewear appears on different characters and ordinary situations take on a surreal quality.
On October 29, dedicated pop-up spaces are also opening in eight cities: Seoul, Tokyo, Shanghai, Beijing, Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, Melbourne and Paris. The installations extend the collection’s central concept through irregular shapes, unfinished structures and contrasting materials.
The launch demonstrates how a collaboration between a fashion house and an eyewear brand can work today. The product becomes the centre of an entire visual universe, unfolding simultaneously through film, physical spaces and performance art. And while eyewear remains at the heart of the project, the appeal lies not only in how the pieces look, but also in the ideas the brands have built around them.
