Marine Serre RTW Spring 2021
If Marine Serre’s apocalyptic show last season felt a little too close for comfort, wait until you see the presentation of her spring collection.
The designer leaned into her passion for science fiction, and our own surreal circumstances, with a hypnotic and disturbing short film that, like the best of sci-fi movies, requires repeated viewings to peel away the layers.
The narrative centers around two characters, played by artist Juliet Merie and singer Sevdaliza, who transition through three symbolic environments — a white laboratory, a desert-like landscape and an underground waterworld — searching for an elusive connection.
Their outfits evolve in function of the backdrop: jacquard suits in an Op Art variation on the label’s signature crescent-moon motif; sleek athletic gear and utilitarian garments made of recycled moiré, and hybrid looks suggesting evolutionary transformation, like an embroidered dress with graphic cutouts and shoulder fins.
Serre, who financed the film with her Andam Award prize money, said the storyline was inspired by the alienation she felt during lockdown, but that the message was ultimately one of resilience.
“The film is called ‘Amor Fati’ because it’s a good moment to radically change things, but also to accept what is happening to us, because otherwise we’re not going to move forward,” she said in a Zoom interview.
The designer, who has made anti-pollution masks a mainstay of her brand, embraced face coverings with variations that ranged from balaclavas to a swooping hat — similar to Cristóbal Balenciaga’s famous wedding hood from the Sixties — made from a terracotta jacquard produced with regenerated carpets, and incorporating a windshield-like visor.
With its themes of protection and connection, the collection felt as timely as ever, and the clear segments neatly reinforced the brand’s codes. Serre noted that in recent months, there’s been a surge in interest in her Instagram videos detailing how she upcycles old clothes to create new garments, which she is striving to make more affordable.
She threw in a wry comment about her moneymaker: the cult moon-print bodysuit, which has been flying off the shelves, especially since Beyoncé wore one in her “Black Is King” visual album. In the film, the pattern is tattooed or scarred into the skin like a tribal emblem.
“I think we all missed each other during lockdown. There is a need to belong today, and that’s how it’s symbolized in the film,” she said.
Look out for another surefire bestseller: monochrome sock boots designed in collaboration with Jimmy Choo.
Launch Gallery: Marine Serre RTW Spring 2021
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