Maison Margiela Fall/Winter 2026 in Shanghai

Maison Margiela Fall/Winter 2026 / FW26 in Shanghai

A Parisian flea market comes to life, after hours. On the outskirts of the city is a world within a world, a place of rituals and obsessions, where curiosities are ready to be repurposed and made new. Living dolls of porcelain; destroyed tapestries and distressed dresses too fragile to repair; Edwardian silhouettes, and a wardrobe interrogating thrift essentials that is the essence of Maison Margiela.

Maison Margiela FW26 / Fall/Winter 2026 show in Shanghai brings together both ready-to-wear and Artisanal collections. Presented “couture” pieces, of which only a few will ever be produced, alongside those which will be available in stores around the world. This was how, in our founding years, the collections of the Maison were shown: Artisanal and ready-to-wear together. Throughout, Maison Margiela foundational codes are celebrated and evolved, such as second skin garments, bianchetto white painted pieces, resourcefulness of unconventional materials, fusions of fabrics bonded together, assemblages of disparate materials, and the anonymity of masks.

This Maison Margiela FW26 show, the first in China, marks the beginning of MaisonMargiela/folders, twelve days of exhibitions and activations across four cities, celebrating many of the house codes seen in this collection: an Artisanal exhibition in Shanghai, an Anonymity of masks exhibition in Beijing; a Tabi exhibition in Chengdu and a Bianchetto experience in Shenzhen.

Details of Maison Margiela FW26 / Fall/Winter 2026, Porcelain, a Chinese invention, is expressed in different ways. The effect of porcelain is created by layered and printed organza, sometimes in dresses with eight layers. Meanwhile porcelain itself is made piece-by-piece for the body, shattered, then fixed onto an Artisanal dress. Archetypes of tailoring, as if found in a flea market, are treated in a Maison Margiela way: tailcoats have their tails cut off, or are painted white bianchetto; double-breasted jackets and trenches are fused with jersey second skin. The fusion theme continues with leather fused onto tweed jackets, and velvet fused onto tailoring. Frayed and unwearable vintage dresses are glued to a fabric base then ripped off, leaving the memory of the garment on a new dress. Meanwhile, threadbare vintage tapestries, beyond the point of restoration, are painstakingly stitched with paillettes to heal the damage.

Edwardian touches occur across Maison Margiela FW26 / Fall/Winter 2026 collection, such as high necklines, emphasised sleeves, lace finishes and long lengths. Meanwhile, an original Edwardian painting, six metres long and in a state of disrepair, is turned into a dress without ever cutting into it. A mould of an Edwardian dress becomes the dress itself, including the impression of jewellery, another example of garment memory. Beeswax, which researchers suggest was first used for candles in China, covers certain Artisanal dresses in the collection. One upcycles an original, Edwardian dress, which has been restored and resized, then covered inbeeswax to mould its layers together. Jewellery is as if covered in wax. Draping is pushed beyond its limits, finding new ways with impossible draping. Some dresses are draped so elaborately, it can never be seen where the draping begins or ends. Then, furniture fabrics, too rigid to ever be draped, are bonded onto pre-draped dresses then cut open on the draped line. Also, draped dresses are cut as if the top layer of a double-layer pleat skirt has blown up in the wind and gotten caught. Knit sweaters have painted fronts in red, white and black, while other V-neck sweaters are purposefully ill-fitting, with Edwardian sleeves and necklines as if nibbled by moths. Boiled wool dresses, raw-cut and steamed so they are sculpted to an Edwardian silhouette.

The language of assemblage is explored, where disparate materials are joined. Printed dresses are bonded to plissé slips then cracked open, while waistcoats over shirts are bonded by a layer of printed silk then cut free, leaving negative space of the garment above. Each look is worn with an Artisanal mask, creating a uniformity of anonymity through Maison Margiela FW26 / Fall/Winter 2026 show.

Shoes, Bags And Jewellery Maison Margiela FW26 / Fall/Winter 2026, debuting this season are Level Cut-Out boots, which reveal a layer of leather lining. Ankle boots have the front entirely cut away, leaving a cuff over the ankle and the foot exposed to the toe. Knee-high boots have two cutaway windows across the bridge of the foot. Also new this season is the men’s Float shoe, with an upper that sitson top of a much smaller sole. They come in brushed leather, patent and distressed leather. Heel-less pumps are bianchetto, painted white, while cowboy boots are also heel-less. Perspex heel sandals have transparent straps, Tabi ballerinas are introduced in second skin, and Tabi-claw boots come with a stiletto heel.

The new Link bag is soft structure, with a frame closure moved to the front. The metal link chain is covered, as if shrink-wrapped, in the same material as the bag, such as velvet, leather and broken mirror. Star stickers cover the Box bag, echoing the Artisanal dress in look 23. The Box bag also comes in porcelain-effect trims, inspired by Artisanal look 8. The 5AC bag takes the tapestry prints of the collection, placing them on a laser cut base, which will continue to distress over time. Its wrapped handle is inspired by the binding of vintage tennis rackets. Glam Slam bags have been treated and sanded to appear like old leather sofas, as well as in broken mirror.

Jewellery is as if discovered at a flea market and covered in wax. Other jewellery is like metallic versions of chandelier crystals, while metal link necklaces and bracelets are moulded with leather and broken mirror, just like the handle of the new Link bag.