Margiela exhibits in China

Martin Margiela unveiled a retrospective exhibition in China, featuring his signature white-wash-style on cotton-covered dummies, a car covered with a sheet, the contents of an anonymous woman's handbag on a podium and clothing. Hong Kong retailer I.T. sponsored the exhibit, which runs through July 1 at Beijing's 798 Art District, an abandoned factory district that was taken over by contemporary artists in the mid-Nineties. Eight rooms displayed archive documents, videos and samples of Margiela's designs, allowing visitors to interact with notable pieces from past collections, reported Women's Wear Daily.

Margiela dressed life-size photo boards of models with his creations, like a slate leather jacket overrun with blue veins and a stiff piecemeal vest. Other notable displays included a Margiela-designed car cover and a vintage wedding dress torn apart and reassembled into a sexy strapless gown. Another room featured snapshots and three-dimensional renderings of Margiela's flagships in cities such as London, Paris and New York.

"An exhibition showing the different aspects of the house is quite rare," said Maison Martin Margiela in a statement. "This is a chance for us to present ourselves, to present the house's philosophy and DNA."

Margiela executives said they "definitely" see a Beijing flagship in the company's future but they declined to elaborate on timing. The brand plans to enter four to five second-tier cities in Mainland China over the next year, they told WWD.