Glenn Martens is a brave soul. Always two steps ahead than the rest of his peers, he taps uncharted territories while experimenting with notions of normality. How far can you go before you end up in a land of fashion madness? And is there anything wrong with looking like you just rolled in your wardrobe and decided to walk out in whatever that stuck to you? Without compromises, Martens makes power moves which most would seriously stay away from.
He made several of those in his latest outing, his Y/ Project AW20 menswear collection, perhaps the boldest one being the partnership with Canada Goose, the controversial Canadian outerwear brand that has recently been under fire for their alleged animal cruelty. But who else to trust with taking getting stocks back up than the Martens, who has already made us re-consider UGG boots. This season, he re-imagined some of Canada Goose’s best known styles in his uniquely twisted way. Parka jackets, puffer jumpers and reversible beanies all came asymmetric and slightly askew, subverting the ethos of function-first the Toronto brand is known for.
The show itself picked up where the last one left off – with a playful spirit and focused on finding joy in the process of getting dressed. The set was a giant balloon-filled playground, encouraging the audience to get into the mood ahead of the show. On the catwalk, the fun continued in the form of wrap-around denim jackets, with V-shapes appearing throughout. Both low cut tops and high-cut panties felt like new season updates on the viral Y/ Project denim panty-jeans from several seasons ago. Martens’ ways of using deconstruction is sexier than you’ve ever seen before, especially when paired with a pair of leopard f**k me pumps and bold jewellery. It’s the Y/ Project way.
Photographs by Jason Lloyd-Evans.
