As the sun bid adieu and the moon ascended to the throne of the Parisian skies, anticipation hummed through the air, culminating in a crescendo that eclipsed the bustling noise of the city. Y/Project‘s Spring/Summer 2024 show unfolded, beckoning onlookers into Glenn Martens’ enigmatic dance between the contemporary and the medieval, the familiar and the avant-garde.
Nestled within the echoes of applause and hushed admiration, Martens unveiled a collection that stood as a homage to Bruges, the silent but evocative city of his birth. The Spring/Summer 2024 ensembles, teeming with architectural ingenuity, spiraled like the gothic towers of his distant home, echoing the nostalgia of a soul intertwined with the rustic allure of Bruges.
“There’s a mystical, almost haunting beauty that lives within the stone-carved wonders of Bruges,” Martens admitted, with a gaze that held galaxies within them, a gaze that harbored the silent language of bricks and stones. In this nostalgic return, denim took a whimsical turn, manipulated and over-dyed in hues of lavender, acid yellow, and wine red. A dialogue between the modern Gen-Z vibrance and the ancient, weathered touch of Bruges’ architectural grandeur.
The audience, a blend of the stylish young and the classically elegant, were enthralled. Martens’ craftsmanship beckoned them into a world where fabric danced to the silent tunes of Bruges’ winds. The architectural masterpieces of his hometown were not replicated but rather, reimagined, echoing the Gothic principle of interpretation over replication.
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“It’s about a conscious decision of how one presents themselves to the world,” he explained, accentuating the multifaceted designs. Garments adorned with hook-eye closures, buttons, and trompe-l’oeil layering offered wearers a canvas of self-expression, an invitation to a personal journey of sartorial revelation.
And in the silence, amid the applause, the Y/Project’s Spring/Summer 2024 collection was a silent sonnet, a narrative woven in threads and fabrics, echoing the silent whispers of Bruges’ ancient walls. A collection that was not just worn, but experienced, a transcendental bridge connecting the alleys of Bruges to the chic avenues of Paris.
This mastery was exemplified in pieces infused with prints, scans of folds, pleats, and distressed lace, reminiscent yet refreshingly innovative, a nod to the iconic touch of Martin Margiela’s ingenuity. Martens, in his eloquence, conveyed, “We’d rather ask a question than give an answer.” Indeed, each piece, from monastic hooded dusters to metal-backed fabrics, was a question, an enigma, a silent melody echoing the untold stories embedded within the heart of Bruges.
Read more: Diesel Spring/Summer 2024 – Milan Fashion Week
©Photo: Y/Project
