Participants reworked personal garments using the house’s signature white overpaint technique
Maison Margiela continues to expand its MaisonMargiela/folders initiative with an immersive activation in Shenzhen, inviting participants to engage directly with one of the house’s most recognizable codes: the Bianchetto technique.
The Bianchetto: Atelier Experience took place this weekend, offering guests the opportunity to transform personal garments under the guidance of the Maison Margiela Atelier team. Through the application of white paint, each item was reinterpreted using the house’s signature overpaint method, turning everyday pieces into expressions of Margiela’s visual language. Participants were also given a blouse blanche—the white lab coat worn by the maison’s atelier and office teams in Paris—further grounding the experience in the brand’s working identity.
Originally introduced in the house’s debut show in 1989, Bianchetto has become a defining Margiela code. The technique involves coating surfaces in white paint, leaving visible brushstrokes that evolve over time as the material cracks and fades, gradually revealing the layers beneath. This process transforms garments into living objects that record wear and passage, aligning with the house’s ongoing exploration of time, memory, and transformation.
The Shenzhen activation forms part of the broader MaisonMargiela/folders project, an initiative designed to open up the maison’s internal processes and archive. First introduced during the Fall/Winter 2026 show in Shanghai, the concept unfolds through a series of exhibitions and interactive experiences across China, each highlighting a different facet of the brand’s identity.
Extending beyond physical events, the project also includes a digital component, with exhibition materials and installation documentation made accessible through shared online folders. These archives are continuously updated, offering an evolving insight into the maison’s creative process and reinforcing its interest in transparency and dialogue.
