The second edition of Slow Fashion Week firmly established Marseille as a city to watch on the French and even international fashion scene. More than just an event, this unique celebration once again came to life thanks to the energy and vision of the people behind the Baga collective, the driving force behind the project. It’s the perfect opportunity to highlight some of the collective’s remarkable brands, as well as other Marseille labels that took part in the festivities, whether directly or indirectly. Here’s our roundup of the Phocean brands to keep on your radar this summer, whether you’re spending the season on the Mediterranean coast or elsewhere.
Captcha Lab: The Inclusive Freak Show Redefining the Rules
Charlotte Denner, co-founder of the Baga collective, made a lasting impression with this year’s second edition of Slow Fashion Week. She staged a runway show worthy of the biggest fashion houses in the heart of Marseille’s prestigious Museum of Fine Arts.
With its latest collection, Cotyla, Captcha Lab invites audiences into a captivating freak show, where every look was created in close collaboration with the model wearing it. It’s a powerful celebration of queer fashion and individuality. Here, inclusive casting isn’t a performative gesture or a box to tick, it lies at the very core of the brand’s creative vision. Every walk down the runway tells a personal story, reflecting a genuine commitment that the designer hopes to embed in Marseille’s fashion landscape for years to come.
The collection embraces a distinctly theatrical aesthetic. Its color palette revolves around dark tones, shades of grey, deep blue, black and white while drawing striking visual references from the world of the circus. The silhouettes are largely covered, yet glimpses of skin emerge in subtle, suggestive ways, revealing the curve of a hip, the top of the buttocks, a plunging neckline or an open back. A wide variety of headpieces completes each look, adding to the collection’s dramatic impact.
Charlotte Denner is clearly thinking on an international scale. Earlier this year, she travelled to New York to present another collection, further cementing her growing presence beyond France. She’s undoubtedly a designer to keep a close eye on.
Emma Bruschi : The Poetry of Ancestral Craftsmanship
As part of Slow Fashion Week, Emma Bruschi unveiled her De Grâce collection in the highly symbolic setting of the Musée Provençal de Château-Gombert, an ethnographic museum dedicated to Provençal heritage. A member of the Baga collective, the designer is committed to celebrating traditional craftsmanship, preserving textile heritage and weaving together a timeless, shared narrative through her work.
Bruschi is particularly known for her remarkable use of straw, transforming this humble material with exceptional delicacy and skill. Alongside the many artisanal techniques she practices and helps preserve, she also published her first book this year, Savoir & Faire, objets et gestes d’autrefois. The book further grounds her practice in the tangible world while making these age-old techniques accessible to a wider audience, ensuring they continue to be passed on to future generations.
Goarz : Upcycling, Reimagined as Modern Armour
We met Emma, the designer behind Goarz, while covering the Salé Collections x Studio Paillette runway show. Specializing in upcycled jewelry, she draws inspiration from the raw, medieval aesthetic of chain mail. Her creative process is rooted in circularity: discarded jewelry is carefully dismantled and transformed into audacious, contemporary pieces.
During our conversation, she shared a particularly badass anecdote that perfectly captures her approach. She even collects shards of broken windshields to set into her creations, proving that in fashion, nothing truly goes to waste. From chunky rings to richly textured chokers, her designs are poised to become this summer’s statement pieces.
Mermere : Eco-Conscious Marine Talismans
Mermere is another jewelry label making waves in the South of France, proudly worn by makeup artist Garance Murru, who also created the beauty looks for the Salé Collections x Studio Paillette runway show. Behind the brand is Noé, who grew up in Marseille, shaped by the rhythms of the Mediterranean. With both parents working as diving instructors, a deep love for the underwater world was part of everyday life from an early age. Life in the port city, together with summers spent on the island of Porquerolles, has profoundly influenced the designer’s creative universe.
For Noé, Mermere’s creations are true talismans, pieces designed to be worn as reminders of another world: one that is brighter, more hopeful and filled with possibilities.
Beyond their poetic aesthetic, Mermere’s creations are backed by a strong ethical commitment. Every piece is made to order, helping to prevent overproduction and unnecessary waste. The jewelry is exclusively created from recycled precious metals recovered from existing pieces, giving new life to valuable materials. For its gemstones, Mermere works exclusively with a certified member of the Responsible Jewelery Council, ensuring full traceability and transparency throughout the supply chain.
La Crique Beauty : The Sunshine of Provence, Bottled
Beyond fashion and jewelry, Marseille is home to a wealth of creative talent and the city’s beauty scene is no exception. La Crique Beauty is a makeup brand entirely designed in Marseille, created to capture the warmth and radiance of the Mediterranean sun in every bottle. Its natural formulas are made for effortless, fingertip application, delivering an easy, sun-kissed glow after an afternoon spent relaxing in the Calanques.
The brand champions clean, vegan formulas made with a minimum of 98% naturally derived ingredients. Its hybrid makeup is infused with skincare actives known for their nourishing and protective benefits, including hyaluronic acid, vitamin C, calendula flower extract and prickly pear seed oil.
Every product is imagined in the heart of Provence and manufactured in France by a laboratory renowned for its high standards in natural formulation, reflecting the brand’s commitment to local production and craftsmanship. The result is the effortless glow of Southern France without compromise.
