For the Y/Project Fall/ Winter 2022-2023 collection, designer Glenn Martens stamped his nine-year long presence as Creative Director at the brand into the show, with what was perhaps one of his finest collections to date.

It was a sort teaser for the Jean Paul Gaultier couture show in Paris next week, where the designer will  moonlight, taking over the creative reins at the show for one season only. The collaboration between the two saw classic Gaultier prints, stampeding down the stage in refreshing and new provocative angles, fit for 2022 that Gaultier himself would be proud of. The iconic Gaultier nude female body was printed on menswear, the male sex emblazoned across a mini skirt, it’s provocation reminiscent Madonna graced the stage in that infamous cone shaped bra, and is deliciously inflaming and suited to the current political climate.

‘Wrapped up’ and ‘Peel off’ pieces saw layers reconstruct the silhouette, lending the creative intellect to the wearer, and allowing for personalization and customization in styling. Clever hacks included multi-collared knits, a denim jacket that transforms into a top, and wire inlays in handbags, stoles, and denim and shearling jackets, personifying the garment into wearable 3D objects. It’s clear the designer gets creative nourishment from Gaultier.

Jumpers were in vibrant colors, down jackets oversized and exaggerated. A slim-fitting dress can be worn demurely or provocatively, depending on the mood of the wearer, thanks to a button down feature. and pants were innovated in the form of ‘the banana’ sees trousers with a rounded cut. As for the shoes, there was of course the emblematic Y/Project ‘Lobster pump’ with their claw shaped toes, and earrings were giant metal flowers with adjustable petals.

As Martens summed up after the show, and in the spirit of Gaultier himself, ‘’Why not have fun?!’’

Discover the looks from the collection below, and more at yproject.fr