Y/Project Men’s Fall 2022

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Glenn Martens is a busy man these days, between his creative director roles at Y/Project and Diesel, and his upcoming one-off haute couture collection for Jean Paul Gaultier — so who could blame him for double-dipping?

His fall coed collection for Y/Project could be read as a teaser for next week’s couture show, with items featuring optical illusion body patterns inspired by Gaultier’s ’90s-era “Cyberbaba” collection, a perennial favorite with celebrities including Kim Kardashian West.

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Martens clarified that it was actually a fully fledged collaboration but for ready-to-wear. Second-skin ribbed vests featured breast prints that were sure to trigger Instagram’s nipple censorship system, while shirts gave the illusion of ripped abs. Best of all were the brightly hued allover prints on evening dresses incorporating a trouser leg.

Asked what he has in common with Gaultier, the designer said: “The fun factor. I think it’s the joy, the celebration, the things Jean Paul is really about.”

Martens was feting his return to the catwalk after several seasons of digital shows. Models trekked the length of a vast hangar in an industrial zone in northern Paris, to a soundtrack that mingled a thumping electronic track by Neuromaster with the soaring voice of German soprano Edda Moser performing the Queen of the Night aria from Mozart’s opera “The Magic Flute.”

Adding extra spice to the event, he sprinkled his cast with friends and personalities including fellow designer Olivier Theyskens, stylist Camille Bidault-Waddington, French actress Lily Taieb, and U.S. model Meadow Walker, the daughter of the late “Fast & Furious” actor Paul Walker.

Martens’ output mirrors his logorrheic speech pattern, so there were chunky outerwear pieces in his signature swirled constructions; sagging cargo pants festooned with straps; knitwear in colorful pixellated patterns; shearling, denim and technical jackets artfully twisted using wire inlays — and more ideas to spare.

“I think I do have too many things in there — I’m sorry, sorry, sorry,” he blurted out. But hey, being prolific shouldn’t be a sin. Savvy shoppers — including those TikTokers obsessed with vintage Gaultier — will know precisely which pieces to pick.

Launch Gallery: Y/Project Men's Fall 2022

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