Known for her Islamic motif-infused sportswear and hybrid fashion, which combines cultural influences and codes, the 26-year-old’s collections have been met with critical acclaim, awarding her the LVMH Prize in 2017 and garnering international stockists including Dover Street Market and Joyce.

Born in a small village in Corrèze, France, Marine Serre initially channelled her ambition into tennis, achieving a high level as a teen, just missing out on a selection for Roland Garros in 2004. Soon after, Serre developed an interest in fashion, attending a specialist visual arts school. This was partly thanks to her grandfather, a collector and second-hand dealer who taught Serre the value of vintage. His influence sparked her motive for attending the La Cambre Mode(s) Belgian Fashion Design academy, graduating with highest honours in 2016, as she indented to recreate her large collection of vintage clothing she had gathered over the years.

Serre held internships working under Sarah Burton at Alexander McQueen , Matthieu Blazy at Maison Margiela and Raf Simons at Dior, before scoring a year-long junior designer position at Balenciaga, working with Demna Gvasalia . Whilst at Balenciaga, she also worked on her eponymous label. Her graduate collection also piqued the interest of the Parisian concept store, A Broken Arm, which put her pieces on a pedal stool alongside the likes of Céline and Margiela, selling out quickly.

In 2017, the Paris-based designer’s fifth-year graduate collection, “Radical Call for Love,” was shortlisted for the Hyères Festival, the ANDAM Prize and the LVMH Prize, ultimately winning the latter, as the youngest designer ever to do so.. The judging panel, that included Karl Lagerfeld and Pheobe Philo, was drawn to Serre’s athletic and futuristic style, blended in form-fitting designs that featured her signature crescent moon print. Since her official debut at the Autumn/Winter 2018 show, the designer has shown three collections at Paris Fashion Week which have featured technologically-forward designs incorporating anti-pollution masks. Working with materials that have no inherent value such as old jeans, recycled fabrics and bedsheets, around 50% of silhouettes in her “Green Line” collection were recycled fabrics.

She has since garnered a cult following for blurring the lines between ready-to-wear, couture, tailoring and sportswear, including Ariana Grande who donned a Marine Serre jumpsuit and crescent-moon boots for one of her shows. In 2019, Serre released her first men’s collection featuring tie-dyed silk sweatshirts made of upcycled materials.

The label is stocked by Dover Street Market , Barneys New York and Browns as well as e-tailers Matches Fashion, Farfetch and Ssense.

Marine Serre

Fall/Winter 2019 • Womenswear

REVIEWS | Marine Serre