As if Maison Margiela's first show in China last February was not visually captivating enough, in a shipyard in Shanghai surrounded by towers of containers in an endless labyrinth, the brand decided to expand the universe of its stunning F/W 2026 collection with the release of Anonimity, a cinematic film teaser. Directed by Thibaut Grevet and starring Rebecca Hall, the production features looks and masks that not only transition from the runway to the screen but also acquire personality, becoming faceless yet soulful characters that play a psychological role and raise existential questions transcending fashion and film to explore the depths of the human condition.
The masks in Margiela's universe have never been merely an aesthetic choice or a gimmick like the ones that are so common in recent times. They represent the stripping of identity, understood as what a face communicates, leaving the entire responsibility for telling a story and reflecting what lies underneath to the garments, the materials and the choices made with them. As an enduring symbol and a staple of the brand's subversive, avant-garde spirit, the mask has naturally retained its relevance and evolved over time. Now, the masked entities acquire a life beyond the runway to become an anonymous, ominous double of the self.
Rebecca Hall faces and is haunted by her masked self in the newest trailer, a cinematic, compelling, giallo-inspired production that could easily become a feature film in its own right. With scenes reminiscent of classics such as Un Chien Andalou and Poltergeist, it also serves as the campaign for the F/W 2026 collection presented earlier this year, featuring Hall and her various doppelgängers in pieces and masks from the show. As the identities multiply, so do the possibilities of the clothes, each character becoming another interpretation of Margiela's ongoing fascination with transformation, disguise and the dissolution of the self.
The collection, which was widely talked about not only for Glenn Martens' impressive designs but also for the grand setting in Shanghai, follows the same instinct for transformation, taking familiar garments and codes of the house and driving them to a new place. Edwardian tailoring coexists with second-skin jersey; tapestry is made to fall like fabric caught in a sudden movement, and scarves, chiffon, velvet and leather are fused, cut and moulded together. The wardrobe has also been through its own series of strange encounters, so that Rebecca is not alone in the confrontation of her persona; she has her clothes to share her existential dilemmas with.