A new short documentary, titled The Artist Is Absent, about designer Martin Margiela is set to debut at the Tribeca Film Festival tomorrow. The new documentary uses a number of fashion critics, some hand-picked by Margiela himself, to analyze the designer's legacy and commitment to secrecy.Â
The director of the film, Alison Chernick, recently spoke with The Cut about The Artist Is Absent and what it was like working with the reclusive Margiela. Spoiler: It's as difficult as you woud imagine. Although Chernick did get in touch with Margiela himself, the conversation was short. "I did have contact with him, once, briefly," she told The Cut. "He actually gave me a list of people to interview that he thought would be good. I talked to some of them, I did not get to all of them. But it was interesting to have that dialogue."Â
It's clearly a great time to be a fan of the fashion industry as the new documentary follows the critically-lauded debut of Dior and I. The Raf Simons-starring documentary tracked the creation of the designer's first haute couture collection at Dior. We also recently saw Pharrell's documentary on using alternative materials for clothes drop, and are waiting on the new film about Iris Apfel, in which the 93-year-old style icon flirts with Kanye West, to premiere later this month.Â
The Artist Is Absent will hit Yoox, the Corner, and Shoescribe on April 27. Until then, watch the full trailer above.
