FASHION

GLENN MARTENS' Y/PROJECT

the clothes that tell us how to live

By Kristen (Hanjuan) Sun 

Mr. Martens

Y/project first launched in 2010 by the Moroccan designer Yohan Serfaty. The Paris-based label originally produced only men’s clothing, but when Glenn Martens took over from Serfaty as the lead designer, Y/Project expanded to include a womenswear line. It has become one of the leading brands to pay attention to, not just because of the intrinsic wearability and Marten’s strong eye for detail, but also due to the inherent sense of attitude. Y/project gives people the impression that they and their clothing are in motion together; the clothes have a kind of disharmonious beauty that captures what it feels like to dress up and be free. Some may call it anti-fashion, but Marten’s ability to stitch and juxtapose basic clothing styles and patterns in new ways has created an exciting new design aesthetic that is both daring and human.

Look at these two

One of the interesting aspects of Marten’s design work is the way that he gives his clothing a kind of unstructured quality. Look at the outfit above and to your left and pay attention to the overlapping collars. Normally, collars are symmetrical, just like we have two eyes, two ears, two legs, etc. But Martens recognizes that collars never stay in place as they should, that it is the nature of the collar to move. By making the collar of the outfit above asymmetrical, he makes the outfit strangely human. After all, we’re always on the move, changing a little bit as we go from one task to the other. Another interesting aspect to note is his use of dark and light. The fabric of the shirt is practically luminescent, where the trousers are so dark that they almost disappear. This gives the outfit a kind of invisible movement, as if the white is moving towards you, though you can barely see the person walking.

And them, too

Martens’ use of color creates a layered quality that reflects light from three different wavelengths, This quality is present in the dress above. It has playful proportions that emphasize the idea of independence and individuality. You get both a truly feminine ideal and a street-smart quality at the same time that defines the model's femininity at its truest. The introduction of blue, only visible from the neck and the long sleeves coming out from the dress, breaks down the monotony of the grey. You can see the same strategy in the way the male model’s pants are a subtle shade of blue.

They have style also

In the two outfits above, they both seem to embrace masculine and feminine ideals while undercutting them as well. The muted pink gives these designs a uni-sex quality, feminine but not quite all the way. Marten’s use of long and voluminous sleeves extending from the shoulder to the wrist again emphasizes the fluidity of his clothing. The male model's baggy shirt’s asymmetry works in conjunction with the shoulder-to-toe outfit of the woman’s. When resting on a pair of high boots, these combinations promote a freedom and flexibility of clothing that is Marten’s signature.

That's the way to live!

Some people consider fashion useless, a hindrance to ease of life. However, Martens proves this to be an incorrect idea, creating clothing that is both beautiful and easy to move in. The flexibility of thought and attention to detail is present even when the clothing is baggy. In the examples above, again, Marten’s collars are asymmetrical, creating the illusion of a white rose beginning to bloom. This sophistication is tempered by the printed shawl that helps to balance and blend the white cardigan and black pants. The outfit makes for a baggy silhouette that doesn’t so much shape the body as lets it free.

Marten has been subverting everyone’s expectations about how clothing should work. His unconventional tailoring and eclectic sense of disorder, shapes the experience to the person wearing it. He opens up our imagination to new possibilities of traditional design. As Martens says “I’ve always wanted to embrace mistakes and ugliness in design, and we have always wanted to be a brand that pushes boundaries and limits, experimenting in an atmosphere of what’s acceptable and what’s not.”

©Kristen (Haujuan) Sun and the CCA Arts Review