Glenn Martens’s Creative Twist on His Collaboration With H&M
The designer wants you to manipulate your clothes and accessories.
In a recent video conference on the last day of Paris Fashion Week, Glenn Martens recalls the excitement when the Swedish brand opened a retail store in his small hometown in Belgium in the ’90s, and how the then-14-year-old would pick up new clothes on a cheeky five-finger discount. Decades later, in the list of high-end brands H&M has collaborated with in recent years, none has been as anticipated as the announcement that Martens—natural rule-breaker, formerly at the reins of Y/Project, now creative director of Maison Margiela and Diesel—was in the hot seat.
The collection, available October 30, showcases original designs for menswear, womenswear, and accessories, and his playful interpretation of customizable pieces. Through foiling and hidden wiring, several items are malleable, including the collar of a trench coat, buttons of a flannel shirt, leg-length boots, and an oversized handbag—which Martens demonstrates by scrunching the handbag to give it a sculptural look. Buttons on jeans were added so the wearer can manipulate the style as they see fit. “I see this collection as a big family of garments, all of which have multiple purposes and personalities: like people, they grow and change each day,” he says.
Martens describes the new collection as flirty, witty, and a love letter to the now-defunct Y/Project. (Which is apparent in Y/Project archival designs’ making an appearance, such as the popular clear strap camisole.) He says “we should give this a little swan song to Y/Project and give this a bit of an extra moment of celebration instead of just putting it in the cupboard and having it die in the darkness. So that’s when I thought, let’s put some of the creative twists into this H&M collaboration.”
Ann-Sofie Johansson, creative adviser and head of womenswear design at H&M, says, “I truly think this is one of the most creative collaborations we have ever done.”
