Maison Margiela chief executive Gaetano Sciuto on the brand's plans to expand into residential design in Dubai

For Gaetano Sciuto, chief executive of Maison Margiela, fashion is not a matter of years, but of mindset. “Maison Margiela is about attitude, not age,” he says with an assured calm that comes from both conviction and experience. Tasked with safeguarding the house’s avant-garde soul while guiding it towards a new generation, Sciuto carries the weight of a legacy that has always lived slightly out of step with convention.

Founded in 1988 by elusive Belgian designer Martin Margiela, the maison was conceived as an anti-fashion brand – its white labels stitched anonymously, its shows staged in unexpected corners of Paris, and its founder steadfastly refusing to be photographed. Ever since, it has intentionally always occupied the margins.

Gaetano Sciuto has had to perform a delicate balancing act, expanding while staying true to the brand's experimental origins. Photo: Maison Margiela

For Sciuto, who joined from Giorgio Armani, this makes for a delicate balancing act. “I need to tell the story of this brand honestly,” he says. “It has not been told enough.” His mandate is to ensure Margiela thrives not only as a cult name, but also as a viable business – without losing the edge that makes it so compelling.

“When I started, people told me: ‘It’s an amazing, beautiful brand. So niche, so edgy,’” Sciuto recalls with a laugh. “But if you stay at the edge, you can’t spark conversation. I want Margiela to be in the middle of the conversation.”

That tension was on full display at the maison’s spring/summer 2026 show under new creative director Glenn Martens. While a children’s orchestra played dressed in oversized suits, models walked with metallic mouthpieces – sinister, sculptural devices that prised open their lips.

Maison Margiela is looking to expand its reach with a broader audience. Reuters

Based on the four stitches that hold the brand’s clothing label in place, it was as shocking as it was divisive.

“We expected the reaction. We had hours of discussions with Glenn about it,” Sciuto says. “Even at a recent dinner, two people loved it, two hated it. And that’s the point. Maison Margiela exists to provoke dialogue. Fashion needs us, otherwise it risks becoming boring.”

Still, Sciuto is pragmatic about growth. “If you go to a party of 100 people, two will be wearing Margiela. I don’t want 100.