A generational shift is transforming the Paris fashion scene. Stalwart brands like Christian Dior and Balenciaga are trying to shake off the dust of their combined 170 years by changing their creative direction in order to stay nimble. Meanwhile, in the North-West of Paris—the 10th arrondissement to be exact—designers like Glenn Martens of Y/Project are slowly building up exciting fashion houses from scratch. First a junior designer with Gaultier, Martens left that house to replace the late Yohan Serfaty of Y/Project and inherited an atelier in mourning. In its quick rise to the runways of Paris, the brand has mastered a look of tailored slouch and unfussed élan. This blend of poise and apathy has been described as “visual catnip,” fresh and unpretentious yet technically impressive. Y/Project’s latest collections feel distinctly modern in their carefully tousled silhouettes—all crisp wrinkles and amorphous folds—something a brand less than ten years old is at an advantage to grasp.

Shedding the design principles of his Antwerp fashion education, Martens now leads the company, its vision, and its staff by emotion. Jina Khayyer visits the designer’s studio and enters into the world of collective and emotional decision-making.