MM6 has been on a growth kick of late, collaborating with The North Face and extending its reach beyond its insular circle. Its shows have grown more elaborate too, swirling clubs in London or never-ending runways in Milan. But for resort 2021 the brand made as strong a statement by paring back. Thinking about the core properties of Martin Margiela’s work, the design team centered on simplicity, ingenuity, and versatility as the tenets of this collection—no flash or wowee moments, just smart, wearable fashion.
This might sound boring were it not for the cleverness with which the MM6 studio continually reinterprets Margiela’s ideology. The most fun development is a series of Velcro pieces that allow for adjustable sizing and draping: A boxy shirtdress folds in on itself to become body-conscious; trousers worn at the waist unclip to sink down to the hip bones. The idea carries into jersey pieces, with slits running down sleeves creating multiple ways to wear them. The rest of the collection is composed of the sorts of non-fashion pieces that Margiela was best at: un-sexy denim, the fusion of tracksuits and tailored suiting, trompe l’oeil prints, and bias-cut second skin clothing. Other brands might tout this as a “core collection:” but at MM6 innovating around for everyday clothing is an every-season strength.
