In the space of the Grande Halle de la Villette, massive column-shaped cages filled to the brim with discarded clothing were the centerpiece for Marine Serre’s Fall 2023 Collection. The French designer’s showing already made headlines at the beginning of the month, after announcing that 1000 fans would be able to attend the show free of charge. The show, titled Rising Shelter, was inspired by Serre’s optimism for change in the face of the ever-accelerating process of climate change; a hope that the fear of dystopia will unite the human race towards building a future that could be brighter. As the lights set and the show began, an eerie voice repeated over and over, “to love is to repair.” 

This idea of repair or reconstruction is instrumental to the ethos of the Marine Serre brand, which has been steadfast in following a business model that respects the planet, with most of their collections containing around fifty percent of upcycled materials. For the first wave of the collection, Serre has created garments out of beige/white tote bags, with the show notes describing that “each ‘earth-friendly’ cotton tote actually needs to be used 20,000 times to offset its overall impact of production.” Here, these cotton totes have been reimagined as a unisex range of coats, jackets, bowling shirts, and more to give new life to these objects that the world has a surplus of.

In line with her emphasis on sustainability, Serre showed her brand signatures; patchworked t-shirts, floral tapestry fabrics, and most famously, the moon print. Serre’s consistent employment of this core design language is quite sustainable in of itself, showing that there doesn’t need to be a complete overhaul of fabrications or prints each season to create quality clothing that consistently feels modern. For fall, Serre has presented more faded renditions of her moon print on a range of denim pieces, so while new items are presented, their existence doesn’t void the appeal of a moon print item from last season, or five seasons ago.

Serre has become a fashion pioneer in playing with strange materials, and this collection is no exception. Moiré pieces have been crafted with recycled fishing lines and nets that shimmer in the light. The exciting use of knits has been shaped into bright orange fantastically fuzzy garments, from trench coats to balaclavas that cloak the entirety of models’ faces. On the other hand from these plush delights is a range of repurposed leather pieces that resemble motocross uniforms. For cabinet-of-curiosity-core accessories, what appear to be metal bowls, stamped with the signature moon logo, have been connected by chains and worn as belts as well as decorative vests.

The final grouping of the show contained fabulously draped patchwork silk scares that cling over top of moon-printed catsuits. For Serre, these moon print catsuits are almost like a second skin, a sense of armor, with the carefully draped silk adding a sense of softness to the garments. These pieces at the end of the collection are a great representation of the Marine Serre ethos; partly practical, repurposed textiles, and always inspired by the future. Rising Shelter is the hope for a better future, and Serre is concerned with where fashion has a place in our evolving world; evidenced through thought-provoking design and consistent attention to the house’s environmental footprint.