Y/Project

Y/Project (stylised Y/PROJECT) was a Paris-based fashion label founded in 2010 by French designer Yohan Serfaty and businessman Gilles Elalouf.[1] The brand became known for its avant-garde tailoring and gender-fluid approach to dressing, particularly under the creative direction of Belgian designer Glenn Martens.[2]

History

Y/Project was launched in 2010 by Serfaty and Elalouf as an avant-garde menswear project. Serfaty's early collections were characterised by elongated, architectural silhouettes and sombre outerwear with a distinctly dark, dystopian mood.[3]

After Serfaty's death from cancer in 2013, Elalouf appointed Belgian designer Glenn Martens—who had been Serfaty's first assistant—as creative director.[4] Under Martens, Y/Project expanded into womenswear and became known for its experimental, deconstructed constructions and gender-fluid reinterpretations of wardrobe staples.[2]

Following Elalouf's death in 2024 and the subsequent departure of Martens, the company entered court-supervised receivership and failed to secure a buyer.[5][4] In January 2025 the label announced that it would cease operations after fourteen years, citing financial difficulties and the inability to complete a sale of the business.[2][6]

Style and influence

Under Martens, Y/Project became associated with a deliberately distorted take on Parisian dressing, using exaggerated proportions, twisted denim and garments engineered to be worn in multiple ways.[7][8] Critics highlighted the label's trompe-l'œil denim, hybrid constructions and gender-fluid styling as emblematic of a wider shift towards more eccentric, experimental dressing in luxury fashion.[9][10] In a farewell piece, British Vogue described Y/Project as a small but influential brand that proved to fashion that “bonkers is best”, crediting its surreal silhouettes and modular garments with changing how fashion fans think about clothing.[11] Later assessments have linked the brand's deconstructed, multi-way pieces and exaggerated proportions to an early-2020s appetite for Y2K-inflected nostalgia and meme-ready silhouettes on social media.[12][13]

References

  1. ^ "Y/Project". Base-Cast. 1 November 2025. Retrieved 21 November 2025.
  2. ^ a b c Williams, Robert (9 January 2025). "Y/Project Is Officially Shutting Down". The Business of Fashion. Retrieved 21 November 2025.
  3. ^ Toofanian, Rana. "Looks of the season. Glenn Martens". System Magazine. Retrieved 21 November 2025.
  4. ^ a b Burney, Chloe (9 January 2025). "Y/Project shutters after failing to find buyer". TheIndustry.fashion. Retrieved 21 November 2025.
  5. ^ Shoaib, Maliha (10 January 2025). "What happened to Y/Project?". Vogue. Retrieved 21 November 2025.
  6. ^ "Y/PROJECT". Y/Project official site. Retrieved 21 November 2025.
  7. ^ Williams, Robert (9 January 2025). "Y/Project Is Officially Shutting Down". The Business of Fashion. Retrieved 21 November 2025.
  8. ^ Rose, Alek (15 July 2024). "The SSENSE Guide to French Clothing Brands". SSENSE. Retrieved 21 November 2025.
  9. ^ Shoaib, Maliha (10 January 2025). "What happened to Y/Project?". Vogue. Retrieved 21 November 2025.
  10. ^ Burney, Chloe (9 January 2025). "Y/Project shutters after failing to find buyer". TheIndustry.fashion. Retrieved 21 November 2025.
  11. ^ Bobowicz, Joe (10 January 2025). "Farewell Y/Project, The Brand That Proved To Fashion That Bonkers Is Best". British Vogue. Retrieved 21 November 2025.
  12. ^ Anonymous (10 January 2025). "Y-Project To Y Not? The Legacy Of The Now Closed Brand". New Wave. Retrieved 21 November 2025.
  13. ^ Anonymous (2025). "Luxury Brands You Need To Know In 2025 & Where To Find Them". Highsnobiety. Retrieved 21 November 2025.
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