Fashion Collection Analysis
The Ask
Students in the Contemporary Fashion course were tasked with finding a fashion collection from a designer watch and research. A full analysis would include extensive research into the themes, artist references, and social context of the selected collection.
What Did I Do?
The collection I chose to research was from the F/W 2021 collection from French designer Marine Serre. In looking into the collection, I found that the designer had pulled from a myriad of inspirations in formulating the collection. I relied on archival news documents and imagery to source historically significant moments that contributed to the collection. I was also taken outside of fashion, researching literary movements such as futurism and dystopian novels. All together these far-flung elements came together in a show dedicated to future humans and the chaos that they may be forced to endure.
Abstract
Often describing her fashions as future wear, designer Marine Serre masterfully paints a world in which humans must cope with the irreversible effects of climate change and destruction. In an inhospitable environment clothing must become a means of protection from the elements, but this doesn’t mean it cannot be fashionable. Looking at a not-so-distant future in which the air we breathe may be toxic, Serre designs functional garments that look appropriate for the runway or the wind-whipped plains of an apocalyptic wasteland. Her Fall 2020 collection is no different, pulling from a plethora of science fiction influences, Serre paints a vivid picture of humans in a multitude of inhospitable climates. The show, titled “Mind Melange Motor”, doesn’t shy away from the humanity that can still be found amongst unbecoming circumstances. Aside from the apocalyptic theme, the show also touches on elements of survival, protection and familial ties. Serre toys with optimistic realism, warning us of what our shared future may hold in store, without abandoning the fundamental human aspects that make up our collective existence.