Copy Direction for Marine Serre

MARINE SERRE presents OSTAL24

featuring the Spring–Summer 2022 collection Fichu pour Fichu

As the world finds itself in an ongoing state of flux, we have the opportunity to find new ways of living together as a global community; to find a new dialogue with ourselves, other people and the world around us. For her SS22 collection Fichu pour Fichu, Marine Serre explored these possibilities, imagining what the future could look like if we were to change our habits and think more deeply about the food we eat, the way we move through life and the clothes we wear. A life without the loneliness that comes with isolation, but with the essential moments of solitude we need in order to reconnect with ourselves.

To express these ideas, Serre delves even deeper into the medium of film and its radical storytelling possibilities with Ostal24. Continuing her partnership with trusted collaborators Sacha Barbin and Ryan Doubiago, which began with Amor Fati (SS21), the 13-minute short transports us through interior and exterior worlds situated somewhere between the past, present and future.

Ostal24 seeks to create a distinction between isolation and solitude. While we may welcome a life with fewer restrictions, it is easy to slip back into old habits and neglect the people we love, as well as our inner selves. Looking ahead, Serre imagines an optimistic alternative way of being: creating greater awareness around personal space; what we put into our bodies; how we move through the world and take ownership of ourselves; the value of materials and skills; and the importance of tenderness and kindness. Above all, she asks us to become more attuned to the impact our everyday actions have on the planet and those around us.

The title Ostal24, which means maison or house in Occitan — a historical language spoken in Serre’s native region — grew from her belief that, through sincere engagement with our primal instincts, we can create a sense of home wherever life takes us.

Composed of 45% recycled and 45% regenerated materials, SS22 is Serre’s most sustainable collection yet. Multicoloured torchon — an unextraordinary fabric usually reserved for household chores — becomes extraordinary when regenerated into boots, boxy jackets, skirts and tops. Other domestic fabrics, such as Dutch embroidered tablecloths and linen tea towels, are imbued with luxury in their new life as lab coats.

Pointelle knitwear enters Serre’s vocabulary for the first time this season, alongside regenerated popcorn fabric fashioned into tops and dresses reminiscent of the 1990s. Scans of the vintage fabrics used throughout the collection have been collaged together to create an original melange print emblazoned across catsuits, leggings, liquid-drape dresses and track pants — garments designed to optimise movement and agility.

Alongside these recent fabrications are threads of continuity from previous seasons that have been developed and refined. Tradition and technology meet in the moiré textiles, handmade in France using recycled fibres and now emblematic of the brand. Dresses cut from upcycled silk scarves and T-shirts; the iconic Marine Serre second-skin boots and garments featuring the moon print; shamanic jewellery crafted from regenerated cutlery, glass and stones; and leather and denim painstakingly patchworked from end-of-life garments all remain touchstones for SS22. By returning to these fabrics and honing the techniques used to create them, Serre continues to sharpen and mature the identity of her brand.

“The most important thing for me is what people feel when they see Ostal24 rather than what they think,” Serre says. “I want people to feel the beauty and simplicity of being together and finding joy in cooking, eating, dancing and yoga, while recognising that every day we make choices that have an impact. How can we become more responsible in the decisions we make? Fashion is about more than draping fabric and making a profit; it can be a place where we are free to take meaningful action.”