Maison Martin Margiela, the Belgian fashion house run until recently by the designer of the same name, has engendered bona fide cult status in its 20 years of existence. And its reputation remains quite unlike anything else fashion has seen before. Margiela recently announced his retirement (through a spokesperson of course, as the designer himself is notoriously press-shy to the point of anonymity). Numerous outlets are looking to re-address what exactly makes the brand so successful at garnering critical acclaim, while, at the same time, maintaining an unparalleled level of cachet. According to a recent post by The Business of Fashion, the key lies in a lack of identity rather than the opposite.

"Patrick Scallon, the right hand person to Margiela once characterized the marketing strategy of Margiela as 'absence equals presence' and 'the cult of impersonality,' indicating that it was a central part of the brand identity," says TBOF. Specifically, Margiela's DNA for success is its "cult of impersonality," which surfaces in everything from signage ("stores are never listed in phone books or identified with signage"), uniforms ("staff at stores ... wear standard white labcoats"), and runway shows ("seating is mostly first-come, first-served") to the runway models themselves ("more than any other designer [they] often appear on the runway with covered faces"). (Not to mention that years ago Margiela managed to create an archaic website that's still exceptionally relevant, design-wise, today.)

The concept is in an infinitely interesting one, as it raises endlessly debatable questions. As the fashion industry becomes increasingly social, taking advantage of the many means with which a brand can connect with its customer base (e.g. Twitter, Facebook, etc.), is anonymity still as powerful as it once was? This remains to be seen, as there's no denying that the fabric of brand-building has changed. Regardless, when it comes to Maison Margiela's own shelf life, a lot will be determined by Renzo Russo's pick for a successor.