Martin Margiela actually did not invent the tabi ... As Margiela himself explained in the book Footprint: The Track of Shoes, ...

that shows Martin Margiela’s sketch of the tabi boot. Aristocratic women parading past a shop, Tokyo, 18th century. Handcoloured ukiyo-e woodblock print by Toyokuni Utagawa from Picture Book of ...

To say the name Martin Margiela is to conjure images of stacked-heel tabi-toe boots and blank labels held in place with four visible stitches. The name also evokes an aura of beguiling mystery ...