Glenn Martens’ 11-year reign at Y/Project is over.
On Friday morning, the French label confirmed that Martens will step down from his role as creative director. “Y/Project thanks Glenn for his unique contributions to the label and wishes him the best for the future,” the brand said in a statement.
Martens has yet to address the development on social media.
The news comes during a rough patch for the brand, founded by Gilles Elalouf and Yohan Serfaty in 2010. In February, Y/Project canceled its Fall/Winter 2024 runway show, citing “uncertain times.” (The brand’s upcoming Spring/Summer 2025 show has also been canceled, according to WWD.)
In early June, Elalouf — who appointed Martens as creative director in 2013 — died at 58.
Still, Martens’ departure comes as a surprise — and adds another consideration to fashion’s superabundance of creative director comings and goings.
Currently, Givenchy and Chanel are sans creative director. And the rumor mill is churning with speculation about the (alleged) impending departure of Maria Grazia Chiuri from Dior, Hedi Slimane from CELINE, and John Galliano from Maison Margiela.
Martens (a former Highsnobiety FRONTPAGE star) still has his plate full, despite his exit from Y/Project. The Belgian designer remains creative director at Diesel, a role he took on in 2020.
Theories regarding Martens’ next move (Will he join one of the major houses searching for a creative director? If he does, will he remain at Diesel?) will likely begin to emerge.
Until Martens addresses the news himself (at the time of publishing, his Instagram bio still describes him as the creative director of Y/Project), we won’t get any closer to an answer.
Watch this space for updates.