The Final Y/Project

In its final moment, Y/Project doesn’t fade—it provokes, reinvents, and reminds us what fashion can be.

Julia Fox styled in Y/PROJECT by Marc Jacobs. Photographed by @indiana420bitch Available on Instagram. © All rights reserved to their respective owners. No copyright infringement intended. Via IG @heavn

There’s something poetic about the way fashion says goodbye. It rarely slips out the back door—instead, it leaves a final statement. A mark.

After 14 years of revolutionizing the industry, Y/Project is saying goodbye. And it’s not going quietly, because that’s never been the way it worked. Since Glenn Martens took over as Creative Director in 2013, Y/Project has been a playground for wild, conceptual design, embracing individuality and daring you to step outside the usual, predictable lane. At the heart of it all, Martens was a quiet anarchist, drawing from past eras but never playing by their rules. It was fashion that felt alive, and now, just as the world was starting to catch up with his vision, it’s all coming to an end. But before closing its doors, Y/Project gave us one last gift: a collaboration with Heaven by Marc Jacobs. A love letter wrapped in denim, chains, and butterfly-shaped earrings—a collection made to feel like a memory, two years in the making. Like all endings, this one has its reasons. But why say goodbye now?

Financial uncertainty, the heartbreaking loss of co-founder Gilles Elalouf, and the departure of creative director Glenn Martens. Despite efforts to hold on and find a way forward, the offers just weren’t enough to sustain the brand. And perhaps that’s the saddest part: vision and talent aren’t always enough to survive in the fashion industry. The market moves fast, and investors often seek safety. But Y/Project was never about playing it safe. The brand thrived on risk, on pushing boundaries, on experimentation. It was built to provoke, to reinvent. And somehow, that same spirit—the strength that defined Y/Project—ended up being the reason it couldn’t survive.

The Heaven x Y/Project capsule carries all the elements that made Y/Project a cult favourite: bold proportions, architectural shapes, and—even in its simplicity—it draws from Heaven’s edgy, Y2K-coded vibe.

This mini wardrobe is playful, sharp, and dreamy—yet always looking ahead. Imagine ultra-cropped hoodies with distressed hems, denim sets twisted just enough to feel new, and baby tees with graphics. There’s even a reinterpretation of Y/Project’s iconic “I Love You” belt—a piece that now feels like a goodbye letter to the fans.

Ken Carson styled in Y/PROJECT by Marc Jacobs. Photographed by @indiana420bitch Available on Instagram. © All rights reserved to their respective owners. No copyright infringement intended. Via IG @heavn

My personal favourite is the Canadian tuxedo, miles away from your typical denim duo. The classic, sleek, straight-cut pieces are reimagined with longer sleeves and pant legs, creating a layered, oversized effect that adds a messy deconstructed vibe to this iconic denim-on-denim look. It’s wearable, yes, but it is entirely opposite to the polished minimalism dominating runways right now. The campaign, starring rapper Ken Carson and model Alana Champion, combines unisex looks that play with gender (if fashion even has room for gender anymore). Each outfit tells the same story: streetwear can be smart, and experimental doesn’t have to mean inaccessible.

Alana Champion styled in Y/PROJECT by Marc Jacobs. Photographed by @indiana420bitch Available on Instagram. © All rights reserved to their respective owners. No copyright infringement intended. Via IG @heavn

Still, it’s hard not to think of what could’ve been. Y/Project had creativity, talent, and a distinct voice. The brand was a favourite among us fashion insiders who sought innovation and disruption, but there’s a strange, almost invisible collapse happening in fashion right now.

Independent brands are falling apart, but no one really talks about it. They’re not throwing themselves into the spotlight with a big “goodbye” or “we’re shutting down” announcement. No, they’re just... slipping away.

The smaller, bolder voices are either getting swallowed up by mega-corporations or silently fading away. And if you’ve been paying attention, you’ve probably seen it too. Kering and LVMH keep absorbing once-independent brands, turning them from innovative forces into profit-driven machines. The essence of what made them so special—gone, replaced by the need for growth at any cost.

So here’s the question that lingers in the air: Where does conceptual fashion go when there’s no budget to be conceptual? When the art of it gets flattened by the mere weight of consumer demand? When it’s no longer about ideas, but about sales? We don’t seem to want fashion that makes us feel anymore, but safe, fast, and algorithm-approved. Still, Y/Project mattered. It changed things. And made us believe in clothes as language, as architecture, as rebellion. Even in their goodbye, they refused to play it safe.

So thank you. For all of it. We’ll wear you. Archive you. Miss you.