See the Digital Dystopia of Marine Serre's “Radiation”
Fashion designer Marine Serre’s new short film, “Radiation,” combines the designer's lookbook with a glimpse into what she imagines Paris could be like in a future that might not be so distant. With the help of 3D digital artists Rick Farin and Claire Cochran, Serre’s Fall 2019 designs take digital form in a post-apocalyptic world that appears to perfectly align with their aesthetic.
The only speaking in the film comes from the radio that wakes up one of the characters. Aside from the brief news story telling of the devastation storms brought to swaths of the U.S., the only recognizable sounds that emerge from behind the strange soundtrack is that of birds chirping. That everyday sound becomes alarming when it accompanies the neon green miasma floating around the streets of Paris. Eventually, the scene shifts to a brighter, more isolated setting, but with the figure's distant gaze and slow, repetitive dancing, something still feels eerie about it all.
The first model wakes up in her small, dark space, where funguslike plants grow through her bare mattress. She wears Serre’s signature moon-printed catsuit, but in this setting, one could almost believe it was her skin. The model then leaves her hideout and heads out into the street, where she finds a few strange figures walking past. Underneath a decayed Arc de Triomphe, another moon-stamped figure picks some of the plants that have overgrown in a city almost devoid of human life.
Serre has built her reputation on mixing elements of classic French fashion with quasi-athletic, otherworldly style to create what she’s named “Futurewear." Although the clothes have stylish details and accessories, the overall look seems more utilitarian in function. The catsuit makes a second skin by covering the parts of the body the heavy denim and winter coats leave bare, and some ensembles, such as the one above, feature a matching face mask. The designer uses vintage fabrics and works to reduce the waste that is typical in the fashion industry. Hopefully, consumers will wear her designs in the future not just because they need to survive the post-apocalyptic world of “Radiation,” but because they simply want to.