Y/Project: orange bubbles and Canada Goose

By

Godfrey Deeny

Published
Jan 15, 2020

It felt like a late 70s happening at Y/Project this season, where the entire audience had to wade through a sea of orange balloons to attend the show.

 
Thousands and thousands of balloons, so many that they reached up to the audience members’ waists, as they stumbled over them to find a place to view the models. The cast marching five feet above them on an elevated catwalk inside an obscure school gym behind the Jardin du Luxembourg. And the finale was even more chaotic, as the hundreds of guests struggled out, driving a huge wave of balloons all the way up two flights of stairs to the entrance.
 
That said, this was a great punchy collection by Glenn Martens the creative director of Y/Project, a man noted for his off-beat cutting and courageous take on fashion.

From beautifully braided faux chalk-stripe suits, witty angry-tiger-motif woolen scarves and askew plaid trapper pea coats for the boys, to steamy silk corset dresses, deconstructed military trench coats and fantastic racy leotards paired with cowboy chaps for the ladies.
 
The show also heralded a cool new collaboration with Canada Goose, one month after the North American brand opened a major new flagship in Paris on Rue Saint-Honoré.

Everything was backed up by some great drumming, carnival music and the continuous popping of balloons.
 
"Working in fashion is tough business of deadlines and almost permanent shows. So I wanted to comment on that stressful madness, and also see the humor in it," commented Martens in the packed backstage changing rooms.
 
The mood was one of controlled pandemonium, just like the fashion. Outrageous but clever and commercial too. The gym was packed with buyers, and rightly so, Y/Project connects with cool dressers.