Exactly, Scott. Margiela is certainly a purist...and through several years of fighting to survive (without going bankrupt) amongst the fashion elite, like the Prada Corp, Gucci, LVMH (stiff competition)..he still tries to remain true to his integrity, his beliefs, and his ideal of what "fashion" should be...or rather, how most people should perceive it.
There is a rhyme and reason to every stance or action (even design concept) that Margiela takes. For one example....he intentionally made it a practice to cover all of his models faces as they walked down the runway. Why??...well, a close observation of the fashion system and how it operates today..it's very clear to see that we now live in an age when too much hype, media, and attention is placed upon the "model celebrity" of the year...like Naomi or Linda E. for example. Their stardom unfortunately out-shines the clothes they're wearing, and they become the focus of attention. The clothes become secondary. Margiela would rather his audience view his clothes, not the models. The issue of "who was wearing what" becomes irrelevant...as it should be.
Margiela makes the same perceptions about himself. For him, it doesn't matter to anyone what he looks like, what his opinion is, what his lifestyle is like, what brand or color his underwear are, etc etc. He considers himself to be a designer, not another "celebrity" designer, such as Tom Ford once was at the house of Gucci.
Margiela doesn't like to advertise himself or his collections to a mass audience. Most of what society has done to fashion could be viewed in 2 aspects. Through advertising...it helps to aid a designer to reach a larger audience...but unfortunately, advertising also places too much emphasis on the subject of "status". For example?? A toilet-plunger no longer becomes just a "standard" a toilet-plunger....once you place a Prada triangle, or a double-G logo on it's surface...you elevate it's status and marketability. One of Margiela's collections actually dealt with the issue os "Standards"...and "Stereotypes", which I thought was amazingly witty.
A few things about Margiela have certainly changed (unfortunately)....but most of what he originally intended, has still remained true to this day and age.