Who was Hermès’s creative director from 1997 to 2003?

Martin Margiela was Hermès’s creative director from 1997 to 2003.

The Belgian designer joined Hermès in 1997 and oversaw the women’s ready-to-wear collection. His approach emphasized refined materials, understated construction, and practical luxury, a direction that contrasted with the more conspicuous fashion styles common in the late 1990s.

Margiela’s Hermès work is often discussed separately from his own Maison Martin Margiela label. He continued leading his independent house while designing for Hermès, making the appointment an important example of a designer managing two very different fashion identities.

Jean-Paul Gaultier succeeded Margiela at Hermès in 2003 and remained there until 2010. That succession is a common source of confusion, because both designers held the creative-director position during the same broad era.