Formally and conceptually, the book is at the book is at once conceived a comprehensive visual document of the designers work and an art object in itself. Lavishly illustrated with over 400 sketches, concept renderings and photographs. The design of the book's exterior case and interior layout feature a number of custom printing effects--textured details, varied papers, embroidered and letterpress elements--that link the finished product to the manufactures of small presses, that distinguish it from the conventional treatment of fashion monographs, showcasing the text in 12, 8-page uniquely designed booklets. Graduating from Antwerp's Royal Academy of Fine Arts in the 1980s, Martin Margiela (and his contemporaries in the Antwerp Six) transformed global fashion with his aggressive restatement of traditional fashion design and a polemical approach to luxury trends. Working first with the house of Gaultier, Margiela absorbed the radical design of Japanese deconstruction, making it wholly his own with the founding of his own label in 1988. Margiela propounds a singular, enigmatic look, moving beyond the recognizable tropes of deconstruction—a monochromatic palette, outsized garments, non-traditional fabrics, exposed seams, or roughly appliquéd details—to develop a fully considered worldview, one with elegance, mystery, and menace in equal measure. This book provides an inside look at the design process from a craftsman who creates pieces prized for their originality, delicacy, and daring. In the spirit of Margiela's garments, the book is a work of art in itself, designed exclusively by Margiela and complete with silver inks, ribbon markers, a variety of lush paper types, twelve booklets, and an embroidered white-linen cover. This book provides a window onto the intimate, handmade world of a unique designer.