A sculpted and viral lookbook by Y/Project for FW24

It was concerning the way Glenn Martens dropped out in the middle of Milan Fashion Week from his Paris show date, but now we are able to understand the reasons behind that difficult decision. The brand is struggling a bit financially and they decided to not have a runway in favor of production. Looking at the lookbook we can see that even just in a lookbook the pieces that the Y/Project studio has come to create are unbelievable.

Across 52 looks, the mind of the Belgian designer was both celebrating the 10th anniversary of the codes he has created for the brand and an homage to the pleurants, anonymous sculpted figures representing mourners, used to decorate the elaborate funerary monuments, mainly in the late Middle Ages in Western Europe. The pieces presented were pretty much sculptural, going for a distorted silhouette that could be varied through manipulable velcros.

Another reference was The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco, a Middle Age murder mystery that had recognizable characters that were portrayed by an array of celebrities, friends and family related to the brand and the now. Giant round of applause for that casting director that created one of the most memorable lists of people on a lookbook in a while.

Some garments had unholy references on their prints, some had giant proportions. But always relying on different manipulations, to put the focus on the artisanal that is happening in the Paris-based studio, where the brand creates all its magic (and virality). Draped like a Fidias’ sculpture, some of the garments had the exact amount of tulle to create these wonderful and emotive (and at the same time brutal) moments. The accessories were also a very curated section, inspired by moldable wire and with acid-wash denim techniques over them.

Glenn Martens is showing his exuberant skillset as a designer and how he managed to get a competent design studio to go with every one of his innovative ideas. Y/Project is avant-garde experimentation, Y/Project is raw creativity, Y/Project is a lucid dream for fashion lovers.

Words: @alraco43