Ester Expósito stars in the new SS26 campaign by Marine Serre

Some brands look to the future by speeding up. Marine Serre, instead, chooses to return to the beginning. THE SOURCE, her proposal for Spring-Summer 2026, does exactly that: a return to the garment as necessity, as gesture, as protection. No artifice. No noise. Just intention.

The collection is built on responsibility — regenerated and upcycled materials as a genuine foundation, not a decorative statement — alongside increasingly refined construction. Jerseys that function as second skins, sculpted Moon denim that reinforces the house’s DNA, and leather worked with near-couture precision. Silhouettes move between structure and fluidity, between day and evening, between comfort and exactitude. Sensual, yes — but without unnecessary emphasis.

Photographed by Sarah Piantadosi at the Hôtel Grand Mazarin, the campaign unfolds in three chapters exploring different states of femininity. The first, “The Beginning”, presents a simple yet compelling idea: femininity before self-surveillance, before expectation, before performance. A suspended moment in which the body simply exists.

Enter Ester Expósito. She moves naturally, without overstating a gesture, as if the scene requires no staging. At the centre, a red draped jersey dress that follows the body in one continuous line, defining the silhouette without imposing it. The clothing does not attempt to transform; it adapts. Alongside the actress and model, Momo Ndiaye brings balance. His understated elegance and relaxed presence reinforce the contrast between structure and instinct that defines the proposal. He does not seek the spotlight; he complements and completes the image.

The rest of the wardrobe follows the same logic. Leather pieces structure without hardening. All-over Moon denim anchors the narrative in recognisable house codes. Day and evening dissolve into a single state. Everything is conceived so that the garment feels like an extension, not a disguise.

Accessories support without stealing focus. The Aurora bag integrates naturally into the narrative: functional, precisely cut, and defined by a discreet presence that aligns with the collection’s idea of luxury without excess.

With THE SOURCE, Marine Serre does not attempt to reinvent femininity; she returns it to its most honest point. Presence before pose. Instinct before explanation. And if this is only the first chapter, it will be interesting to see how the narrative evolves in the next two, as the instinctive femininity presented here moves towards a more conscious and fully assumed version of itself.