This time, it's a genuine and gentle farewell.
The fashion circle in the golden September and silver October remains bustling, but this year is even more different. When H&M unveiled its collaboration collection with Glenn Martens, loyal fans or observant observers might have already detected a hidden sense of regret in those familiar pieces.
Although it bears the personal name of Glenn Martens, anyone who truly likes the design of Y/Project will not find it difficult to notice the tribute to the brand's signature elements. Even this kind of tribute is so frequent and obvious that it seems like a "never enough" remembrance - Glenn Martens also seems to want to use all his strength to convey his reluctance to us.
Hidden in twists and folds - A "Eulogy" to Y/Project
The latest H&M x Glenn Martens collaboration collection might be the true "swan song" of Y/Project. Via H&M
In fact, it was nearly a year ago that Y/Project went bankrupt and was shut down. Even more than half a year has passed since Glenn Martens took over Maison Margiela. However, the "unresolved" sentiment towards Y/Project has always been repeatedly mentioned in the fashion circle, and perhaps it has also been lingering in Glenn Martens' own heart.
Since the official announcement of the single item, discussions about this collaboration series paying tribute to Y/Project have never ceased. After all, each of these signboard designs that seem to have the name "Y/Project" on them bears too many traces of the past, making it impossible to stop making associations.
Among the total of 57 works, familiar three-dimensional distortions, wrinkles, and optical illusion prints are everywhere - such as the Bomber jacket crumpled under the wardrobe, the zipped cotton-padded jacket disassembled and deformed, and the skin coat that creates a "flat fake two-piece" visual effect, all of which feel familiar.
And those shoulder straps that are "invisible" with fishing lines, the fringed decorations on the denim fabric, and even the bags that look like "soft sculptures" are almost all identical to the design elements of Y/Project's business card style.
If looking at it alone is not intuitive enough, then placing the previous season's items of Y/Project together with this collaboration series for a horizontal comparison, this visual response of "being cast from the same mold" is bound to be more impressive.
Perhaps due to the brand's shutdown, only the designer's own name can be used. But this Project, which had been in preparation for two years ago, perhaps he had already had that pessimistic answer in his heart during that period when Y/Project was in turmoil. And this collaboration, which is almost a "replica" of Y/Project, now looks more like a "eulogy" written by Glenn himself for Y/Project.
A "full stop" that's hard to put into words - It must eventually be said goodbye gently
When the brand was officially announced to be shut down at the beginning of this year, what accompanied countless fans was not only shock but also more regret and unwillingness to accept it. The 2024 autumn/winter collection, during this period of turmoil, even cancelled its runway appearance and was presented only in the form of a Lookbook. It was naturally regarded by everyone as the final "swan song" of Y/Project.
When talking about this season's works in the interview, Glenn Martens candidly stated that he thought of the mourning sculptures that were decorated on tombstones in the Middle Ages. Of course, this sense of sadness is also intricately linked to the fact that he was about to lose the Y/Project brand, his "dear son", at that time.
So this collaboration with H&M has brought both surprise and relief to the brand's fans - the surprise is that after the 2024 autumn/winter season, we have one more opportunity to see the works of "So Y/Project". Fortunately, compared to the unexpected departure nearly a year ago, this time we have relatively more ample time and a more composed mental preparation to bid farewell to Y/Project properly and formally.
So in this H&M collaboration collection, Glenn chose "return" rather than "breakthrough" - we are glad that he did not overly showcase the decadent and unconventional aesthetic he developed for Diesel, nor did he incorporate Margiela's exclusive artistic experimental concept. Instead, he stubbornly returned to the design language that made him famous. This choice reveals too many unspoken yet sincere feelings towards Y/Project.
Compared with all grand concept descriptions and business analyses, the "human touch" in this collaboration might be more touching. The outside world often likes to regard the shutdown of a brand as business news, but for the designer himself, it undoubtedly marks the end of an "intimate relationship".
True brand fans won't care whether a not-so-large fashion brand like Y/Project can only rely on fast fashion as the "Noah's Ark" of its design concept when it's hard to survive. Nor will they be obsessed with whether the more affordable price compared to the brand itself is an attempt to reach more consumers and eventually make a profit from the "nostalgia".
In this obvious and capricious "tribute", Glenn poured his "unyielding tenderness" : no excessive noise, no deliberate pretense - all he did was to unrereservation the signature language of Y/Project, stroke by stroke, for everyone to see, as if solemnly saying: It is me, it was once so touching.
But if one doesn't think so pessimistically, this might not merely be a farewell. The fact that Y/Project has become history does not seem to imply that the aesthetic souls hidden in the "distortion and creases" have vanished into nothingness - every ending also means a new beginning. Perhaps Glenn Martens can no longer continue to write memories for us under the name Y/Project, but some designs themselves have long transcended the boundaries of the brand and become more eternal existences.