Glenn Martens is surely one of the busiest men in fashion, with creative director roles at both Maison Margiela and Diesel. Still, the Belgian designer made time to invite The Run-Through to Margiela’s Paris headquarters during fashion week, where he discussed his fall 2026 collection.

On Wednesday, Martens presented both his ready-to-wear and Artisanal collections together in Shanghai, the presentation coinciding with four exhibitions across China, each dedicated to a founding code of the house. The exhibitions will bring Margiela’s history to Chinese audiences, covering everything from its iconic “bianchetto” motif to the house’s long philosophy of anonymity. “We love clothes and craftsmanship and garments,” Martens says. “We don’t want to focus on the person wearing it.”

Martens also reveals the secret weapon he used to win over the studio team in his first weeks on the job: his absolutely adorable border terrier, Murphy. “Everybody was smiling, the doors opened, people were screaming, playing around,” he recalls. Murphy has since been gifted his own miniature lab coat.

Looking at the big picture, Martens wants to keep having fun. “At the end of the day… that’s the reason why we started fashion: because it brings joy.”