THROUGH innovation and self-expression Glenn Martens elevates staples and adds style to everyday garments in his collaboration with H&M.
As one of the most pivotal voices in fashion, the Belgian fashion designer currently holds the position of Creative director at Maison Margiela and Diesel. With this new collection, Martens allows more people access to his designs, democratising style through menswear, womenswear and unisex pieces.
Glenn Martens and Ann-Sofie Johansson
There is a rawness in the collection that feels deeply personal. Martens has always balanced technical craft with a rebellious edge, and here that tension becomes accessible in a new way. Every stitch feels intentional. Every silhouette tells a story. The garments hold personality, and asks the wearer to bring their own.
H&M x Glenn Martens
H&M x Glenn Martens
The campaign amplifies a more personal spirit. Rather than a sleek, airbrushed fantasy, Martens presents a twist on the traditional family portrait. In a tall and rickety house made of scaffolding, iconic British actors Joanna Lumley and Richard E. Grant join a multigenerational cast, each figure expressing individuality with confidence and ease, like our own childhood paper dolls.
The energy is playful yet refined. It suggests connection rather than hierarchy, personality instead of uniformity. These are not models performing perfection. They are characters, each telling their own story through clothing, posture and presence.
H&M x Glenn Martens
Humour has always been a thread in Martens’s work. It surfaces here not as a gimmick but as a form of intelligence. It can push boundaries without losing warmth. In this collection, English wit is utilised by Martens to soften the avant-garde impulse, making bold shapes, large thigh-high boots and unexpected details feel welcoming rather than intimidating. The result is a wardrobe that is expressive, exciting and quietly subversive.
With this collaboration, Glenn Martens does more than expand access to his world. He expands the possibilities how fashion can be bold, humorous, thoughtful and unafraid. It reminds us that clothing has power. It shapes identity, sparks conversation and invites connection. And in Martens’s hands, it becomes a tool for freedom.
by Ellis Dowle