Two of fashion's most sustainable designers present at Paris fashion week
4 Mar 2024
Eco-responsible fashion conscious designers presented their autumn-winter collections on Monday, the penultimate day of Paris Fashion Week.
Vegan Stella McCartney
With her father and his Beatles bandmate Ringo Starr watching from the front row, Britain's Stella McCartney called on the fashion world to "wake up" with a collection that took her sustainable schtick even further.
McCartney said 90 percent of the outfits were made from "eco-responsible" materials, and said she had sought out solutions that could not be told apart from traditional textiles by the naked eye, such as a white suit made from vegan leather.
The outfits were somewhat more eccentric than normal, with exaggerated proportions, following a trend for oversized suits, and an outfit that looked like a big pile of knitting in turquoise or fire-red. Adding to the "Nepo-baby" vibe at the show, one of the models was Lily Moss, daughter of Kate Moss.
Marine Serre's marketplace
Another eco-conscious designer, 32-year-old Marine Serre, held her show in Parisian food hall Ground Control, among cafe tables, pizza stands and a florist.
The French designer, who uses as much recycled material as possible in her outfits, told AFP she disliked the way big brands build temporary structures just for a 10-minute fashion show.
"I like to find a place that already has a vibration and energy. Most of the time, when you do a show, it's just in a box, and I'm kind of against that," she told reporters backstage.
Her models were also eclectic, ranging from older women to a little baby, carried in a white dress-and-baby-carrier combo, screen-printed with Serre's signature crescent moon.
Other styles included a transparent black dress -- everywhere this season -- but worn over sportswear rather than skimpy underpants.
Propelled by the LVMH prize that she received in 2017, the young designer has found a niche with her upcycling aesthetic and a mix of styles combining sportswear and haute couture.(AFP)