Maison Martin Margiela’s finally diving into the world of pre-collections.

Pre-fall and pre-spring collections are arguably, according to many buyers at least, becoming more important than their runway counterparts. They’re delivered to stores earlier, are often less expensive, and the clothes are usually easier to wear in real life.
Margiela’s “Avant Premiere” debuts in stores this May. The collection offers sixty styles each for men and women, including shoes and bags. The purpose, aside from offering the customer consistently new product, is to give “an introduction to what we’re going to show for the rest of the season,” said a spokeswoman.
The other unspoken purpose is to catch up with the times. While the man himself can stay hidden forever, the revolutionary, well-respected, underground brand needs to compromise their ridiculously niche position to survive financially.
And as long as there’s never a Margiela it-bag, we think everyone will understand.