Y/Project: Jean Paul Gaultier Collab, Denim Boots & a Bold Balaclava
Over the past two years, I've found it hard to get excited about fashion. Perhaps it is the never-ending pandemic, or perhaps it is the copious amounts of releases, collaborations, and products that we're exposed to every single week.
Y/Project changed that.
The Fall/Winter 2022 schedule has been quiet this season, as a result of cancellations due to COVID, as well as production delays, and so on. Y/Project decided to go ahead with its anticipated show, and it was without a doubt the right decision.
Taking the audience into a big parking garage owned by DPD on a rainy night in Paris, the label's creative director Glenn Martens showcased a collection that has already been shared on Instagram stories everywhere with the caption: need.
Last year, it was announced that Martens would follow sacai's Chitose Abe as Jean Paul Gaultie's next couture collaborator, and the FW22 Y/Project collection gave us the first glimpse at what will be a stellar partnership.
Using some of JPG's most iconic prints, Martens created slip dresses, suits, tank tops and more, combining colors with Y/Project's signature experimentation. Purple mixed with green, blue mixed with pink, and simple black-and-white – it was all there!
In addition to the collaboration, we of course saw an abundance of denim (even some denim-clad boots), which is to be expected as Martens is also Diesel's new creative director. He's a busy guy, to say the least.
Playing with shapes and textures, Martens showcased everything from a duvet-inspired puffer jacket, to a colorful jacket-scarf-balaclava look, and everything felt nothing short of exciting. Personally, the huge metallic earrings, structured scarves, and the Tabi-inspired shoes were favorites.
When it comes to makeup, the models were clean-faced, but with a simple addition of some white mascara, which created an eye-catching element that didn't distract from the clothes themselves, but added another exciting element.
Glenn Martens' Y/Project has always been great, but the Fall/Winter 2022 collection was truly something special. Who would've thought my love for fashion would have reignited in a DPD parking garage? Not I, but when it comes to Martens, the designer can do anything.
