Positive Couture for Everyday Life: ISKO™ X Coralie Marabelle

Proponent of sustainable and mindful clothing with a story behind it, Parisienne couture brand Coralie Marabelle launched her latest eco-responsible capsule collection in collaboration with ISKO™.

She created two key pieces for the collaboration: a pair of jeans and a dress, both designed using R-TWO fabric. This denim is a pioneering concept that aims to preserve natural resources, and is made from a blend of reused materials and recycled polyester.

When raw cotton is made into yarn, around 10% is lost in the production process. ISKO™ collects these cotton scraps and feeds them back into the spinning process. This reused cotton is fully traced, documented and audited. It is also certified by the Content Claim Standard - or CCS - of the Textile Exchange organization.

About Coralie Marabelle:  

Only four years old, Coralie uses her collections to promote creativity, empower women and build a collective spirit. She often uses garments like a manifesto, to send a message to society and make them question things that they may have assumed or taken for granted before. 

Before launching her own brand Coralie worked at Hermès, the artisanal line of Maison Margiela and at Alexander McQueen. In 2014, she delivered her first architectural and artisanal collection, and was awarded the public prize at the Hyères Fashion Festival. 

Much of Coralie’s inspiration is drawn from contemporary art, using bold shades, strong lines and graphics to lend distinction to her collections. At the core of her brand is a high value and emphasis on sustainability, using responsible materials and processes, and creating garments that will last a lifetime. 

Coralie Marabelle is also supported by the French Fashion Federation with support by DEFI, in their ‘Talents’ program. Talents is an acceleration program for French fashion brands. 

In her collaboration with ISKO™ Coralie used ISKO™ raw denim materials to design a limited capsule collection that is inspired by workwear garments - creative but wearable for the everyday. ISKO™ worked with Coralie to choose the best kind of material for the collection, collaborating to evolve and achieve her vision for the garments. She had not worked with denim in her collections much before, so this formed a unique challenge and opportunity.

“I like to work with raw materials, as natural as possible. I chose raw denim because it doesn't have any washing, I wanted to use the material as it is, out of the factory.”  

- Coralie Marabelle 

In addition to being a more sustainable material, raw denim doesn’t have any extra processing, and will form according to the wearer’s habits. Similar to how worn wood will develop a patina over time, raw denim develops more character as it ages. 

Artistic Denim

Taking an artisanal approach to an everyday fabric, Coralie used the strength and weight of the fabric to its advantage. The raw denim was ideal for forming strong lines but with a playful edge to it, taking menswear and making it more couture.

The Core of the Collection

Handcrafted in France, at the heart of Coralie Marabelle is sustainability. This is expressed through her intentional creation of collections that fall outside the regular fashion calendar, the materials and design she creates, and the partners she collaborates with. 

“In the industry everyone talks a lot about denim and how it impacts the environment. So I was really excited to discover ISKO and see how much they are engaged, and how long they have been trying to change the industry, showing that we can keep making denim but make it better.”

- Coralie Marabelle

Coralie’s designs are intended to provoke conversation, to tell stories and help make consumers more aware of where their clothing comes from. A well-made garment takes quality materials, a lot of time and many people. Making people more aware of this journey will add to the worth and value of the item for the user, and encourage them to treasure it for life.

The Future of Fashion

Looking forward, engagement in materials and processes is essential to transforming the industry, and changing the way that garments are made. Coralie hopes that in the future, sustainable materials, new practices, and the philosophy behind ‘positive couture’ will become the standard, not the exception. Education is key, and collections like these become platforms for new stories to tell, and new ways to imagine the future of fashion.