Following the intimate presentation of the Fall Winter 2010-11 Line 0 Artisanal collection last week, we were able to take a short tour through the Maison Martin Margiela atelier in the 11th district of Paris. From the front desk to the terrace furniture everything is white-washed and imbued with all the subtle trademarks of the house – executed in a rough, haphazard way that seems anything but contrived.

In the atelier itself, guests were witness to the skeletons of half-finished toiles from mens and womens collections hanging behind our seats. Boxes of chains and other unusual materials from the artisanal collections lay alongside vintage denims and leather swatches. On top of a commanding white wardrobe, a transparent bust with a sharp horizontal shoulder sat alongside another scratched white body, and outside a window pane is inscribed with the signatures of the Margiela team. The baroque ‘trompe l’oeil’ adhesive door stickers are evident inside and out as is the most basic furniture, painted or loosely covered in white canvas.

Visiting this private world of the most gracious white-coated staff is the same as entering into any one of their stores. There is an obvious intent in the aesthetic, yet without strain or too much precision. Things are done for a reason, but not for grand notions of luxury or excess. Form and function work together, as the final purpose of the space is as a working studio. The Margiela HQ is existing proof that Martin Margiela worked with spaces in the same way he worked with clothes, laying bare the most fundamental and structural features and allowing them to become the highlights.