Glenn Martens is headed for the top spot at Maison Margiela. The former Y/Project designer and current Diesel artistic director will take over the role of creative director at the brand. He succeeds John Galliano, who departed late last year after a decade-long run. In a statement, Martens said, “I feel extremely honored to join the amazing Maison Margiela, a truly unique house that has been inspiring the world for decades.”
Y/Project spring 2024.
The Belgium-born designer attended Antwerp’s Royal Academy of Fine Arts (also the alma mater of Martin Margiela himself.) His graduation show caught the eye of Jean Paul Gaultier, and he worked under him as a junior designer, then briefly ran a self-titled fashion line. In 2010, he joined the label Y/Project, and in 2013 took over after its founder, Yohan Serfaty, passed away. It quickly became a Paris Fashion Week must-see, and Martens dressed everyone from Rihanna to Charli XCX.
Rihanna wears a Y/Project design in 2023.
Martens brought an avant-garde spin to a fashion scene that was pivoting to casual, streetwear-inspired looks. He also showed a knack for virality just as that was becoming a concept in fashion, with pieces like oversized middle-finger earrings, cutout denim “chaps,” and NSFW enamel necklaces. He even anticipated the avant-garde Ugg moment with delightfully divisive, internet-breaking thigh-high versions of the fuzzy favorite. And he became known for creating theatrical, talked-about runway moments, something Margiela knew a thing or two about.
In 2020, Martens was tapped for the top spot at Diesel, balancing the work with his role at Y/Project. Again, he injected his off-kilter spirit into the denim-heavy brand, creating deconstructed, shredded pieces in the staple fabric and hosting a memorable spring 2025 show where the runway was lined with 15 tons of shredded denim. He left the latter post this past September, stirring rumors about his next move. Martens will surely bring this knack for deconstruction and attention-getting (not to mention his couture chops) to the house that helped pioneer both concepts. We can’t wait to see what he does there.