FASHION FORCES

There are designers who create perfectly lovely, desirable clothes and then there are designers who dig a little deeper, think a little bigger. The work of the latter camp are almost like cultural markers—not just reflecting the mood of the times, but often helping to crystallise it and in some cases, even shift it. One of the most original, important voices shaping the future of fashion today belongs to Marine Serre. She burst onto the scene with a bang in 2017, her debut collection netting her the LVMH Prize. Since then, she has been garnering both critical and commercial success with a singular point of view that explores questions of identity, fluidity, diversity and sustainability.

Call it prescience or coincidence, but there has always been something dystopian about Serre’s shows and collections. Way before a nyone could have predicted that face masks would be this year’s most prevalent (and necessary) accessory, she was already putting it on her runways alongside balaclavas, full-coverage bodysuits and other equally ominous-looking survival gear. But it’s