Brand: Marine Serre

Season: Fall/Winter 2021

Key Pieces:

Buy: Marine Serre, SSENSE, MATCHESFASHION.COM, Browns

Editor's Notes: This is no mere ready-to-wear collection: Marine Serre's CORE collection is accompanied by a documentary and book that flesh out the line's all-purpose ethos. The design process — which sees Serre and her team upcycling and repurposing existing fabrics into new designs — is tantamount, but there's also an emphasis on the human element, demonstrating the inherent wearability at the core of the Marine Serre line.

Serre touts the eco-consciousness at the core of CORE, estimating that half of the clothing is comprised of regenerated textiles (i.e. old repurposed clothing) while the other half is derived from recycled fabrics. Prices are also going down for the regenerated items. It's always heartening to hear about fashion brands taking conscious steps to reduce their carbon footprints, though it ought to be noted that production often generates more waste than the actual fabrication, meaning that upcycling alone isn't enough to balance the industry's wastefulness.

Still, Serre's openness is nonetheless a step forward and her designs are always inviting. CORE, being her more approachable line, features a disparate array of wearables that include tailored pieces, scarves, T-shirts, jeans, bedcovers, and even carpets. There's also a multipurposeness that runs throughout Serre's creative process, like the fleece bedcover that can be wrapped around the wearer to as a wearable cocoon.

The whole affair is graced by vivid patterns but the recognizable silhouettes and hardy construction keeps everything grounded, even as Serre takes fanciful steps to upgrade the apparel.

Utilitarian workwear is repurposed with thoughtful touches — including hand sanitizer-sized pockets — and provides a harder edge to Serre's signature stretchy moon-laden bodysuits and base layers. Scarves are cut from silk or tarten-patterned wool, layered over leather coats, denim jeans or puffer jackets for extra contrast and insulation.

"This last year has been difficult for everyone, but there is no longer any question about it, things must be done differently," Serre said in a statement. "We want to bring Ecofuturism to the streets."