John Galliano at Maison Margiela: The Ten Years, 2014 to 2024
John Galliano at Maison Margiela: The Ten Years, 2014 to 2024
John Galliano led Maison Margiela for ten years, from 2014 to the end of 2024. He made Artisanal couture the centre of the house again, mixed menswear and womenswear into co-ed shows and ended with one of the most talked-about shows of the decade. Glenn Martens took over in January 2025. Coveti carries the current collection in the Maison Margiela edit. His decortique thinking survives in the Collarless Denim Jacket in White in our jackets edit.
Quick answer
- Appointed: 2014, five years after Martin Margiela left.
- Debut: Artisanal, Spring Summer 2015.
- Signatures: Artisanal couture, co-ed shows, the podcast The Memory Of, the 5AC and Glam Slam bags.
- Finale: Artisanal 2024, under the Pont Alexandre III in Paris.
- Left: December 2024.
Why Galliano was a surprise
Galliano, the British designer behind his own label and fifteen years at Dior, had been out of fashion since 2011. OTB's Renzo Rosso brought him to Maison Margiela in 2014, a house known for anonymity, which seemed the opposite of Galliano's theatre. He kept a low profile in the house tradition and let the shows speak.
Artisanal couture
Galliano treated Artisanal as a laboratory: garments cut, bonded, painted and reassembled by hand, shown during Paris Couture Week. Techniques that started there moved into ready-to-wear, including decortique, which strips a garment to its frame. See the techniques guide.
Co-ed shows and The Memory Of
He merged men's and women's collections into co-ed shows and explained each one in his own voice in the podcast The Memory Of… With John Galliano, a rare move for a house built on silence.
Bags
The Galliano years produced the house's best-known bags, the 5AC and the padded Glam Slam, which made Margiela a bag brand for the first time.
Artisanal 2024
His last great show, Artisanal 2024 under the Pont Alexandre III, filled a recreated Paris dive bar with corseted, porcelain-skinned figures. Many critics called it the best show of his career, and he left the house that December.
What the Galliano era left in today's clothes
Decortique and bonded finishes are still in the collection: the Collarless Denim Jacket in White and the Bonded Crease Long-Sleeve Shirt in Black come from that thinking. Read about Glenn Martens, who followed him.
Maison Margiela at a glance
| Founded | 1988, Paris, by Martin Margiela and Jenny Meirens |
| Creative director | Glenn Martens, since January 2025 (after Martin Margiela to 2009 and John Galliano, 2014 to 2024) |
| Owner | OTB, the Italian group founded by Renzo Rosso, majority owner since 2002 |
| Signatures | The four white stitches, the blank numbered label, the Tabi split toe, deconstruction, Artisanal remade garments |
| Lines | Artisanal (couture), the main collection, and MM6 Maison Margiela, launched in 1997 |
| Made in | Most ready-to-wear is made in Italy; a few pieces are made in France |
| Sizes at Coveti | Italian sizes IT 36 to 50 (UK 4 to 18), letter sizes XS to XXL for knitwear, waist sizes for jeans |
Frequently asked questions
When was John Galliano at Maison Margiela?
From 2014 to December 2024. Glenn Martens succeeded him in January 2025.
What was John Galliano's first Maison Margiela collection?
His debut was the Artisanal collection for Spring Summer 2015.
What was the Maison Margiela Artisanal 2024 show?
Galliano's Artisanal 2024 show took place under the Pont Alexandre III in Paris and is widely seen as the high point of his time at the house.
Did John Galliano design the Glam Slam bag?
The Glam Slam and the 5AC bags were introduced during Galliano's years at Maison Margiela.
Why did John Galliano leave Maison Margiela?
He announced his departure in December 2024 after ten years. Neither he nor OTB gave a detailed reason.
Read next: Glenn Martens at Margiela, who is Martin Margiela, Margiela techniques.
Related Posts
Men’s Peacoats: History, Fit and How to Wear a Pea Coat
A men's peacoat is a short, hip-length coat with broad lapels and a straight cut, first worn by sailors, and it should fit close enough to look sharp while leaving room for a knit underneath. Herno , the Italian outerwear house founded on Lake Maggiore in 1948, calls the peacoat a navy-inspired...
Best Men’s Raincoats: Luxury Picks Ranked and Water Column Explained
The best men's raincoat for most men is a knee-length coat with a bonded membrane, a hood and a removable bib, cut to fit over a jacket. Our top pick is the Herno Raincoat in 2-Layer Windstopper, rated to a 20,000 mm water column, from the Italian house that started out making men's raincoats in...
Men’s Overcoats: Overcoat vs Topcoat vs Car Coat, Explained
A men's overcoat is a heavy, tailored wool coat worn over a suit, usually ending at the knee, while a topcoat is a lighter version and a car coat is a shorter one cut for driving. Herno , the Lake Maggiore outerwear house founded in 1948, makes all three, and its signature twist is a removable...
Men’s Trench Coats: History, Fit, Fabrics and the Best Picks
A good men's trench coat is a belted, knee-length rain coat cut to fit over a jacket, with enough room across the back to move and a sleeve that covers the shirt cuff. Herno , the Italian house that began making men's raincoats on Lake Maggiore in 1948, now builds its trench in a laminated...
Long Puffer Coats for Men: Down Parkas and Longline Picks
A long puffer coat for men is a padded coat that reaches the upper thigh, the knee and beyond, so it covers a suit jacket and keeps you warm when you sit, wait and commute. Herno approaches it the Italian way: its longest padded pieces are slim membrane parkas, down-padded carcoats and quilted...
Men’s Down Jacket Buying Guide: Fill, Shell, Baffles and Fit
To choose a men's down jacket, check five things: the down to feather ratio, the shell fabric, how the down is held in place, the length and features, and the fit. Italian outerwear house Herno shows why each matters: its lightest jackets use 90/10 down inside 20-denier Japanese nylon, which is...
Lightweight Packable Down Jackets for Men: The Ultralight Edit
A lightweight packable down jacket is a thin, down-filled layer with a very fine shell that compresses into a bag and springs back when you take it out. Herno has built its name on exactly this kind of jacket: its Nylon Ultralight pieces combine 20-denier Japanese nylon with 90/10 injected down,...
Luxury Puffer Jackets for Men: What You Pay For and the Best Picks
A luxury puffer jacket for men is a down-filled jacket where the price pays for the quality of the fill, the fineness of the shell and the cut, not the size of the logo. Herno , the Italian outerwear house founded on Lake Maggiore in 1948, is one of the clearest examples: its lightest puffers...
Quiet Luxury Outerwear for Men: 10 Logo-Free Coats and Jackets
Quiet luxury outerwear for men is a coat whose value shows in the cloth and the cut, not the logo: pure cashmere, double-faced wool, suede and fine technical nylon in navy, grey, camel and brown. Herno is a natural fit because its only branding is a small metal plate on the back, and the 10...
Herno Around the World: How Men Buy and Wear It From Milan to Tokyo
Herno is an Italian outerwear house from Lesa, on Lake Maggiore, that opened stores in Osaka and Tokyo as early as 1968. In 2022 about two thirds of its revenue came from exports, and the same coat is worn very differently in Milan, New York, London and Tokyo, so the right Herno piece depends on...
Herno Shearling Jackets for Men: Real Shearling, Faux Fur and Teddy
A men's shearling jacket from Herno is one of two things: real dyed lamb shearling, used on one full shearling jacket and as the collar on 11 wool and cashmere coats, and faux shearling, faux fur and teddy fabrics made from polyester. At Coveti the real lamb shearling pieces cost $3,300 to...
Herno Cardigans for Men: Knitwear, Jumpers, Polos and Knit Jackets
A Herno cardigan is a men's knit in virgin wool, wool and cashmere, merino and pure wool, cut to sit cleanly under the brand's padded blazers and coats. At Coveti, Herno men's knitwear runs from $880 to $1,720, and knitted jackets that mix wool with technical nylon reach $2,530.