Sciuto felt this full-tilt foray into China was an absolute priority. Margiela only entered the country in earnest in 2019, he says. Though, the brand has since opened 26 stores there, with its market penetration, in the most part, defined by its perfume business. And it is this relative lack of development in China that has driven the decision to focus on the region.
Last year, Margiela’s total revenues grew 9%, of which only an (undisclosed) small proportion stemmed from the Chinese market. “This is why, for us, it is still an opportunity. Even if right now, the US, Europe, and Korea are growing faster in general, we feel China has really huge potential for us,” Sciuto says. He points to the recent opening of a Margiela flagship in Seoul having provided a spike in sales-generating awareness across the Korean market, which he hopes this endeavor will mirror in China. “In a similar way, that flagship has completely changed perception of the brand, because it allowed us to showcase a mix between communication, iconic product, and elevating Margiela as a luxury label.”
Product-wise, Sciuto says a focus on the house’s Tabi shoes has driven “exponential” growth. The arrival of Martens, he adds “has brought a more feminine and gendered approach. With John, it was a little more genderless.” Reflecting this, he adds, an emphasis on dresses and skirts is bearing early fruit in ready-to-wear, while other clients engage with the newly available Martens-era Artisanal couture. A cohort of these clients, Sciuto says, will be in Shanghai tomorrow to see the show. Because of this, he discloses, Maison Margiela will next return to the Paris Haute Couture schedule in January 2027.
At the other end of the business, MM6, the diffusion line that developed out of Martin Margiela’s 1997-founded Line 6, has 22 stores globally and contributes significant wholesale revenues to the brand’s overall bottom line. “It has been growing quite nicely,” says Sciuto, “but between Margiela and MM6, we are telling two different stories.” Nonetheless, he agrees, MM6 serves as an important transmitter of the broader cultural capital that Margiela possesses. Sciuto adds: “The Replica perfume and Replica sneakers have been such a success, so part of the question for us is how do we engage with those clients and bring them more deeply into the world of Maison Margiela?”