MM6 Maison Margiela has one tabi-clad foot firmly planted in the house's heritage but it's plenty capable of newness. Consider its Dr. Martens collaboration, a perfect example of past smashing right into the present.
Kinda surprising that Margiela and Dr. Martens have never collaborated before but, hey, about time. In terms of footwear collaborations, MM6 has focused on a multiseason Salomon partnership so perhaps its attention could not be divided.
Speaking of divided, the MM6 Dr. Martens are literally divided, Frankensteining two different shoes into one wearably weirdo hybrid.
That means derbies with loafer-ish uppers and workboots blossoming out of a low-top ankle.
"Dr. Martens and MM6 Maison Margiela teased a new collaboration at the MM6 Maison Margiela AW24 runway show," said a characteristically succinct press release. "Date to be confirmed." The show notes offered scant more information on what it called "blunt grafts of boots and loafers."
But you only need to see the imagery to get where these hybrid shoes are coming from.
MM6 was established in 1997 as one of the many enigmatic Margiela imprints — each number on the Margiela "numbers" logo represents a different line — but its purpose was quickly realized as a contemporary, approachable riff on the Margiela design ethos.
That means familiar house tropes reframed by a more palatable package and comparatively grounded silhouettes, though plenty of shapes, styles, and cues were carried over from the mainline collections.
In recent years, MM6 has truly come into its own.
Its lexicon is still informed by the Margiela alphabet but it no longer parrots phrases. Instead, it epitomizes newness with a fresh stance on contemporary fashion: dramatically oversized shapes and adventurous statement pieces grounded by remarkably wearable (and remarkably fresh) staples.
Thank MM6's retiring creative director, who is at least partially responsible for breathing new life into a label that previously existed almost incidentally. And, of course, for finally getting MM6 a Dr. Martens collab.
