Belgian fashion designer Glenn Martens succeeds John Galliano as creative director of OTB Group-owned label, Maison Margiela.
Belgian fashion designer Glenn Martens succeeds John Galliano as creative director of OTB Group-owned label, Maison Margiela.
Parisian Haute Couture house Maison Margiela and parent company OTB Group have announced the appointment of Glenn Martens as Creative Director with immediate effect, and look forward to building on its unique codes and brand values, with him. Martens, who was appointed artistic director at Diesel in 2020, remains at Milan-based OTB Group, which owns both Maison Margiela and Diesel.
“I feel extremely honored to join the amazing Maison Margiela, a truly unique house that has been inspiring the world for decades. And I thank Renzo for the trust he is putting in me,” expressed Glenn Martens in a company statement.
“I have worked with Glenn for years, I have witnessed his talent, and I know what he is capable of,” says Renzo Rosso, Chairman of OTB Group. “After Martin, who gave life to the Maison and its unique artisanal line, and John who made it the most cutting-edge couture house in the world, I am proud to have a third couturier at its helm. Glenn, who studied at Antwerp Royal Academy of Fine Arts like Martin, has already shown his prowess and his vision in couture”.
Glenn Martens’ appointment as Creative Director of Maison Margiela marks a significant chapter for the label, promising to build upon its avant-garde legacy. With his deep understanding of deconstruction, artistic craftsmanship, and conceptual design—honed at Diesel and Y/Project—Martens brings a contemporary edge that aligns with the house ethos. His Antwerp Royal Academy background, similar to that of founder Martin Margiela, ensures a continuity of experimental tailoring.
Furthermore, his experience within OTB Group enables strategic cohesion between Maison Margiela and its parent company, fostering synergy and commercial growth while preserving its unique identity. Martens’ creative leadership is poised to drive Maison Margiela’s relevance among traditional luxury consumers and a younger, fashion-forward audience.
“Maison Margiela is at a key moment of its history and on well-defined and solid tracks. The appointment of Glenn will further build upon the heritage of the house which we are beyond proud to have in our Group,” says Stefano Rosso, Chairman of Maison Margiela.
Maison Margiela parted ways with John Galliano in December 2024
In December 2024, Maison Margiela announced it was parting ways with artistic director John Galliano after ten years. To his credit, Galliano transformed Maison Margiela into “the most cutting-edge couture house in the world”, as described by the chairman of the brand’s parent company.
John Galliano was appointed Creative Director at Margiela in 2014, his first position since his exit from Dior in 2011. In an exclusive interview with WWD, Galliano said, “In inviting me to assume the position of artistic director in the house that Martin built, he gave me the greatest, most precious gift: the opportunity to once again find my creative voice when I had become voiceless…”
“Together we have done something incredible that will be forever engraved in the history of fashion. In a world where collections seem to look more and more like each other, products with no real and distinctive DNA, John gave center stage to the greatness, the culture and the values of the product,” Rosso told WWD. “He made Margiela a unique house that embodies the desire for creativity and the dream of fashion, bringing it to a worldwide success based on these rare product values.”
However, there’s no disputing the impact of Galliano on the luxury brand during his tenure there. His Spring 2025 Artisanal Show was a success and he also dressed Met Gala co-hosts Zendaya and Bad Bunny. Per WWD, ‘At the time of Galliano’s appointment, market sources estimated the company generated about 100 million euros annually. It operated about 50 directly owned stores in 2014. Today, the company boasts about 120 stores globally, 50 of them having opened in the last four years, and 43 of those in Asian countries, led by Japan, China and South Korea.’
Maison Margiela: Rich heritage and aesthetic
Maison Margiela
Parisian Haute Couture house Maison Margiela was founded on the principles of non-conformity. Traditional dress codes are inverted and redefined in an analytical wardrobe for the digital age. Driven by instinct, Maison Margiela is devoted to creativity invigorated by values of authenticity, radicality and self-expression.
Revolutionary and cutting-edge, Maison Margiela raison d’être is the philosophy of Belgian designer Martin Margiela, who founded the luxury fashion brand in 1988. The Maison celebrates unconventional aesthetics and embraces the philosophy that fashion is an artistic expression rather than a cult. Daring and ambiguous, Maison Margiela designs Haute Couture, ready-to-wear, bags, shoes, small leather goods, fine jewellery, fragrance, interior design objects and MM6, its contemporary line.
Maison Margiela has developed a strong online retail presence and a worldwide boutique network with a signature store design and unique customer experience. Additionally, the brand is present in key department and multi-brand stores across Europe, the United States and Asia. Maison Margiela became part of the OTB Group in 2002. The group also controls Diesel, Jil Sander, Marni and Viktor and Rolf, production arms Staff International and Brave Kid, and holds a stake in the Amiri brand.
Jasmeen Dugal is Associate Editor at FashionABC, contributing her insights on fashion, technology, and sustainability. She brings with herself more than two decades of editorial experience, working for national newspapers and luxury magazines in India.
Jasmeen Dugal has worked with exchange4media as a senior writer contributing articles on the country’s advertising and marketing movements, and then with Condenast India as Net Editor where she helmed Vogue India’s official website in terms of design, layout and daily content. Besides this, she is also an entrepreneur running her own luxury portal, Explosivefashion, which highlights the latest in luxury fashion and hospitality.
