Y-Project to Y Not? The legacy of the now closed brand

14 years after the brand's launch Y-Project announced its closure in January 2025, citing failure to secure ownership as the reason for the label's termination. The decision was made after Glen Martens, its renowned creative director, left in September 2024. Under Martens' direction, the brand had grown from a niche label appealing to avant-garde enthusiasts to a major voice in modern fashion, signaling the end of an era.

Since its establishment in 2010 by Yohan Serfaty alongside Gilles Elalouf, the brand has remarkably grown and transitioned from a grimy diffusion line to a forefront of innovation. Yohan Serfaty's collections featured sleek, tailored, and skinny silhouettes in achromatic colors. His SS13 and AW13 shows defined Yohan's vision for Y-Project amassing fans of the brand through this edgy, experimental yet formal punk look correlative to Rick Owens' and Damir Doma's work at the time. It is important to conclude that these collections were foundational in expressing Yohan Serfaty's design language regarding Y-Project. During this time, the brand's future faced uncertainty, as Yohan Serfaty unfortunately passed away in April 2013 succumbing to his battle with cancer. Despite such devastating news, Gilles Elalouf found a successor for Y-Project in Glen Martens, who previously worked as Serfaty's first assistant in 2009. Bringing on Glen Martens was a safe and logical choice as he understood the essence of the brand and had the potential to take Y-project in new directions.

Photo: © modelstalking by jld 2012

Glen Martens assumed the role of creative director in 2014, paying homage to the brand's core foundation throughout 2014 and 2015 whilst simultaneously paving a way of his own by transitioning into deconstructed maximalism vis-à-vis his architectural background. Martens would continue producing quality leather and tailored denim garments that are signature to the brand but wouldn't shy away from experimenting with brighter colors and untraditional shapes. In addition, his dual role as the creative director at Diesel from 2020 allowed him to experiment further, giving him more room for trial and error testing. In the 2020 decade, Y-Project has also had a few stand-out collaborations including the likes of Fila, Melissa, and Jean Paul Gaultier.

Photo: Y-Project Archive

Photo: Y-Project Archive

Among the many accomplishments during Martens' time at Y-Project were his 2017 ANDAM Grand Prize victory and his 2016 LVMH Prize for Young Designers finalist status. Ye West, Hailey Bieber, Rihanna, Asap Rocky and Kylie Jenner were among the celebrities who endorsed the brand and wore its designs at a number of occasions.

Following the passing of Gilles Elalouf, a co-founder of the firm, Y-Project was placed into receivership by a Parisian commercial court on September 26. As a final act, Y-Project hosted a few final sales of their archival clothing from past collections for core fans of the label in Paris in the autumn of 2024. In closing, Y-Project's journey from its inception to its closure showcases the challenges and triumphs of independent fashion brands in the dynamic luxury market. The brand's innovative spirit and contributions to contemporary fashion largely attributed to Glen Martens, will continue to inspire future designers.

Photo: Y-Project Archive