Y/Project References Surface in H&M’s Glenn Martens Collection
Boots, prints and structural details pay tribute to the Belgian designer’s trajectory and signature archival motifs.
Summary
- The H&M Glenn Martens collection fuses archival staples with Martens’s avant-garde style
- Pieces feature foil, wiring and trompe-l’œil for sculptural, wearer-led customization
- The campaign stars Joanna Lumley and Richard E. Grant, celebrating humor and self-expression
H&M has unveiled the lookbook and campaign for its highly anticipated collaboration with Glenn Martens, bringing the Belgian designer’s boundary-pushing aesthetics to a broader audience. The partnership presents a wide‑ranging collection that channels Martens’s disruptive sensibility into pieces designed for diverse wardrobes and everyday wear.
The collection spans womenswear, menswear, unisex pieces and accessories, each celebrating wit, individuality and self‑expression. Perennial wardrobe staples such as T‑shirts, check-shirts, bomber jackets and jeans are reimagined through Martens’s inventive lens, with each given an avant‑garde, characterful treatment that twists expectation into new forms.
Rooted in detailed archival research, Martens transforms H&M classics into sculptural, customizable garments through techniques such as foil, internal wiring and trompe‑l’œil, enabling wearer‑led reshaping and personalization. The range explicitly references Martens’s career and his work for Y/Project, with boots, prints and structural details that echo key archival motifs while foregrounding humor and playful subversion.
The campaign amplifies the collection’s theatrical spirit with a family‑portrait concept featuring acting icons Joanna Lumley and Richard E. Grant alongside new faces, reflecting Martens’s fascination with British humor and cultural references. Martens describes the range as “a big family of garments, all of which have multiple purposes and personalities,” underscoring his focus on “the clothes that we really live in.”
The H&M Glenn Martens collection launches in select stores and online at H&M on October 30, with a celebratory London event to follow. In the meantime, view the range in the gallery above.
