Explainer / Love it or hate it? Why the Maison Margiela Tabi is a cult classic: Olivia Rodrigo and Dua Lipa are fans of the subversive split-toe shoe with 15th century origins – and it’s going viral on TikTok too
- Belgian designer Martin Margiela visited Japan after leaving Jean Paul Gaultier in the late 1980s and saw street workers wearing tabi shoes – then he made the split-toe design central to his label
- The Tabi boot debuted in Maison Margiela’s inaugural spring/summer show in 1989 – 35 years later, Jessica Parker, Dua Lipa, Nick Jonas and Olivia Rodrigo are all fans
For the past three decades, the Maison Margiela Tabi has divided opinions much like the shoe separates toes. Known as one of fashion’s most subversive shoes, the hooflike Tabi is certainly not for everyone, but it’s definitely not going anywhere. In fact, the cult classic’s following is only growing larger thanks to social media and a new legion of celebrity fans.
In fact, the tabi existed before luxury fashion houses did. The silhouette dates back to socks from 15th century Japan. The divided toe design was specially crafted to be worn with traditional thong sandals. By the 1900s, rubber soles were added and the design became a shoe called the jika-tabi. According to holistic reflexology, the Japanese split-toe design is meant to increase balance and a clear mind.
And that’s exactly why designer Martin Margiela was prompted to create a luxury version. During the late 1980s, the Belgian designer visited Japan after leaving his role at Jean Paul Gaultier. He was in the process of starting his very own fashion label, Maison Martin Margiela, and was looking for inspiration for a shoe unlike any other. And boy, did he find it.
In his 2019 documentary Martin Margiela: In His Own Words, he explained: “My memory went back to the day we went to Tokyo for the first time, when we saw street workers in their flat cotton tabi shoes,” he said. “I thought, OK, why shouldn’t I do a soft Tabi shoe but on a high heel? And then the idea was born.”
By 1989, the Tabi boot debuted on Margiela’s inaugural spring/summer show, where models covered in lab coats and red paint walked down a white fabric runway leaving a trail of cloven-hoof footprints.
“I thought the audience should notice the new footwear,” Margiela wrote in the book Footprint: The Track of Shoes. “And what would be more evident than its footprint?”
The shoe certainly turned heads, but it wasn’t an instant hit. Margiela also had budget limitations in the early days, which meant he had to repurpose his unsold boots for upcoming shows by repainting them in different colours. “In the beginning, there was no budget for a new form, so I had no other choice than to continue with [the Tabi] if I wanted shoes,” Margiela wrote in his book.