History of the Maison Margiela Tabi Boots

Today we are going to be talking about one of my favourite brands being Margiela, and more specifically a product that has been forever on my designer wishlist, the Tabi boot. Now if you guys are unaware of this famous boot, fear not I will explain.

At first glance they look like a regular black leather boot, but look closer and you see the unique split toe detail that resembles a hoofed foot. I remember the first time I saw a photo of these, and I was instantly taken back, and if we're being honest a little creeped out. But as I kept seeing them the intrigue grew, and I started to understand why these boots were an iconic Margiela staple. So lets take a peak into how these famous shoes became what they are today.

The origin of this tabi design dates back to Japan in the 1400s. Originally they were split toe socks made to be worn with thong sandals, and were made when Japan began importing cotton from China. Marin Margiela first discovered this silhouette while on a trip to Japan with the Antwerp 6, and was immediately intrigued. Margiela debuted this shoe in his ver first 1989 Spring/Summer collection. Martin was originally concerned that no one would notice the split toe, so he decided to have the models dip their shoes in red paint and walk down the runway leaving hoofed prints. Not only did this draw the viewers attention to the split toe, it also added to the creepy, pagan feel of this shoe. In a later season Margiela then used this canvas runway with the red tabi prints as repurposed fabric for his garments. 

 

Since Maison Martin Margiela was only on their first collection upon the release of these boots, there wasn't enough money to re-design them, leading them to re-using the same boot design over many seasons. Once they could afford to update the boot, it was already too late, the boot had become a must have for fashion lovers everywhere. From then it has been a staple piece for the brand, and has been reimagined over the years being made into clogs, flats, pumps, even candles. 

Spring/Summer 1990 - Graffiti Tabi

Clearly inspired by the grunge trend of the early 90's, Martin released these amazing graffiti style tabis. Even more interesting is who did the graffiti on these boots. Margiela enlisted the help of his fans for this art. So all the scribbles, drawings, and words are actually done by long time fans of the brand making this boot even cooler (if that's even possible).

1999 - Tabi Glove

Taking the Tabi one step further, Maison Margiela released this black leather split finger glove reaching 3/4 of the way up your arm. 

Spring/Summer 1996 - Taped Tabi

Another epic rendition of the classic Tabi was the Tabi soles by themselves attached with only packing tape. I'm not sure if these were ever actually sold, but they looked amazing coming down the runway.

20th Anniversary Candle Tabi

For the 20th anniversary of Masion Margiela they came out with another unique version of the Tabi, the Tabi candle. Although this isn't a wearable version of the shoe, I think it would be an awesome piece to have in your house if you are a big fan of Margiela, and the Tabi boot (secretly wishing someone would buy me one lol). 

So this rounds up todays blog post I really hope you guys enjoyed my little history lesson on this classic silhouette and have a greater appreciation for this creepy, mythological looking shoe. Let me know if you guys like when I talk about fashion history, it's one of my favourite things to write about!

Also, I found an awesome Instagram dedicated to Tabi's and other Margiela archives. Check it out!