Michael T.
Yelp
As I'm moving to the area in the near future, I decided to take a day of exploring the city and checking out all the streetwear and fashion boutiques in the 3-mile radius.
One of my friends is a loyal client to Maison Margiela, and although I have never personally looked into Margiela myself, I decided to check out the boutique here in San Francisco.
The experience and feeling I got upon entering the store was very similar to how I felt when I walked into Rick Owens in Los Angeles.
It's extremely different from any other boutique or designer store in the area - in terms of artistic direction and customer service.
I love shopping, but a couple of my pet peeves when going to a boutique are: associates who are "too cool" to approach clients or smile & associates who are officious or too pushy.
Maison Martin Margiela's pieces and the team that work there are confident enough in their brand and themselves to just... be. They don't try to be something they are not, and the customer service experience was very genuine.
When I entered today, I was greeted by the Store Director: Abe. He truly is passionate about the boutique, the client experience, and extremely knowledgeable about every piece.
One thing I love about fashion is the artistic aspect - the inspiration, the thought behind each piece, where the material is sourced from, etc.
I straight up didn't know anything about Maison Margiela, but Abe was cool enough to answer my questions and took the time to tell me about the history of Margiela, the inspiration behind each piece, and the construction techniques. I was genuinely curious, and because of Abe and his knowledge... I am actually quite intrigued by Margiela. Before I purchase something, I'm the type of person to do extensive research and truly understand what the designer/brand/maison is about. Abe was excited to tell me all about it.
It is very refreshing to be able to meet and talk to people who are passionate about where they work, what they wear, and genuinely care about their clients.
If you want quality items (ranging from fragrances, to money clips, to ready-to-wear, and shoes) from a team that obviously cares about their clients, while immersing yourself in a unique experience... take a step inside.