MAISON MARTIN MARGEILA – PALAIS GALLIERA, 1991 – EXHIBITION – Lot 42 MAISON MARTIN MARGEILA – PALAIS GALLIERA, 1991 – EXHIBITION “THE WORLD ACCORDING TO ITS CREATORS” Pair of Tabi ankle boots covered in graffiti, 1991 White painted canvas, heels covered in white cotton, padding in tissue paper The graffiti texts and drawings were created by the public during the exhibition “The World According to Its Creators” at the Palais Galliera in 1991 Unique piece Size 40 In a white box annotated by hand by Martin Margiela This is the only pair in private hands. The other two pairs belong to the collections of the Palais Galliera in Paris and the MoMu in Antwerp. GRAFFITI “TABI” 1991 “The unusual silhouette I imagined in 1988 required a style of shoe radically different from anything that existed. I thought of bare feet topped with massive high heels.” I suddenly remembered the street workers I had seen in Japan, with their intriguing outfits and supple Tabi boots. I was thrilled by the idea of ??making them in leather, mounted on high, heavy, cylindrical heels. No one liked them, but I continued to present them season after season. Gradually, they gained popularity, and today, almost 40 years later, they are still being produced and sold. This particular pair is the result of my first group exhibition at the Galliera Museum in Paris. I liked the idea that visitors could leave messages on the white-painted walls and floor, but they also unexpectedly wrote on the white-painted Tabi boots. I love that spontaneous result. Martin Margiela These tabis are reproduced in: – “Margiela, The Hermès Years”, MoMu, Antwerp, March-August 2017 (and traveling), p.162 – “Martin Margiela, The Women’s Collections, 1989-2009”, Palais Galliera, Paris, March-July 2018, p.7 Provenance: Martin Margiela’s personal archives. A pair of painted graffiti Tabi boots, 1991: White painted canvas, heels covered in white cotton, stuffed with tissue paper Graffitti texts and drawings have been realized by the public during the Galliera Exhibition “Le Monde according to its Creators” in 1991 Size 40 Unique In a white box inscribed by Martin Margiela Last exist pair still in private hands. The two other ones are owned by the Palais Galliera in Paris and the MoMu in Antwerp. GRAFFITI “TABI” 1991 “The unusual silhouette I had in mind in 1988, needed a very different style of shoe than everything that was around. I thought of bare feet and high massive heels. I suddenly remembered the street workers who I saw in Japan. They had intriguing outfits and wore soft Tabi boots. I was thrilled by the idea to construct them in leather on high, heavy, cylindrical heels. Nobody liked them, but I continued to present them season after season. They slowly gained interest and today,nearly 40 years later, they are still being produced for sale. This particular pair was the result of my first group exhibition at the Galliera museum in Paris. I liked the idea that visitors could leave messages on the white painted walls and floor, but they unexpectedly wrote even on the white-painted Tabi boots. I love this spontaneous result.” Martin Margiela These tabis are photographed in: exh. cat. ‘Margiela, The Hermès Years’ MoMu, Antwerp, March-August 2017 (and tracking shot), p.162 exh. cat. ‘Martin Margiela, The Women’s Collections, 1989-2009’, Palais Galliera, Paris, March-July 2018, p.7 Provenance: Martin Margiela’s personal archives.