Maison Margiela and Gentle Monster Reveal 11-Piece Eyewear Collaboration

South Korean eyewear imprint Gentle Monster is well-versed in the realm of experimental sunglasses, and now it doubles down on this design approach with the release of its Maison Margiela collaboration.

John Galliano‘s Margiela is one which exudes simplification and reduction, a fuss-free approach infused with haute technicalities and precision. Avant-garde by nature, Maison Margiela now introduces its ability to subvert the archetypes with eleven collaborative Gentle Monster silhouettes, each of which follows the title format of “MM001” to “MM011,” drawn from the brand’s numerical identification system it uses throughout the atelier.

Traditional colorways including black, white, grey, cream, transparent, and tortoiseshell are planted across acetate structures that feel familiar, but twisted in Maison Margiela’s way. Take the MM001 and MM002, for example — here, the 1990s and early 2000s sports sunglasses that wrapped around the head are now reduced, minimalized, and refined, with the branding appearing on the bridge and the House’s four stitches gracing the arms on either side.

Likewise, other pairs redefine cat eye structures, while items like the MM009 and MM010 decode the traditional Wayfarer shape, dropping the arm beneath the frame to create awkward right angles on the temple.

Altogether, Maison Margiela x Gentle Monster has delivered a comprehensive array of glasses that evoke the spirit of every Margiela fan. The more minimal among them can tap into this collaboration just as well as the avant-garde fans can, and that is the mastery of Galliano at play.

Take a look at the collaborative selection above, and pick up your favorite pair from Gentle Monster and Maison Margiela on February 28.

In other news, Pharrell is the new Creative Director of Louis Vuitton.