Is There Anything More (or Less) Gloriously Margiela Than a GORE-TEX Button-up?
Few brands hold a candle to the collaborative genius of Maison Margiela's approachable sub-label, MM6. MM6's work with Salomon, especially, is quietly some of the smartest sport-meets-luxe stuff in the biz.
At first glance, MM6 and Salomon's GORE-TEX apparel collection has all of the usual GORE-TEX bits you'd expect, like a calf-grazing trench coat and a hooded windbreaker. The former is classic Margiela and the latter, quintessential Salomon. Normal enough.
Not so normal, though, are MM6's GORE-TEX lined shirts and slacks, available on Margiela's site for $930 and $885 apiece. These are particularly wild hybrids both very and very not Margiela.
Very not Margiela in that though the maison does do sporty stuff on occasion, pure tech gear isn't really its forte. Very Margiela because isn't it just so perfect that Margiela would totally defy expectations of what you think Margiela could be?
The MM6 Salomon GORE-TEX button-down, for example, looks a lot like MM6's standard collared shirts, but it's cut from a GORE-TEX membrane, revealing its inorganic composition only upon closer inspection.
MM6 and Salomon also created a pair of five-pocket trousers, cut to a straight leg with MM6's distinct white stitches. If that dapperness isn't enough, the pants also have GORE-TEX's waterproof and wind-resistant specs, making these the toughest trousers that your could also wear to a wedding.
Typically, GORE-TEX's utilitarian uses make it a mainstay of chunky hiking sneakers and well-built jackets. It may be breathable but it's not commonly used in making trousers (though it can be).
Anyways, GORE-TEX-infused garments typically have a certain look. But the best aspect of the MM6 x Salomon GORE-TEX offerings is that they don't look like the durable gems they actually are, a classic Margiela trompe l'oeil trick born anew.
