How Iris van Herpen sculpts the impossible.
WRITTEN BY: DENISA PALSHA
In the rarefied space where fashion intersects with art and science, Iris van Herpen stands apart—more alchemist than designer, more sculptor than seamstress. Since launching her eponymous label in 2007, the Dutch couturier has redefined what it means to make clothing in the 21st century. Her creations are not simply worn; they are experienced, vibrating with kinetic energy that feels both extraterrestrial and deeply human. Worn by icons like Björk, Grimes, and Zendaya, Van Herpen’s creations move fluidly between red carpets and museum exhibitions. Both the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris have featured her work, solidifying her status as fashion’s foremost futurist.
Driven by a relentless curiosity about technology, nature, and the invisible forces that shape our world, Van Herpen has revolutionized technology application to fashion design. She challenges traditional notions of couture, working with techniques like 3D printing, laser cutting, and magnetic fabric manipulation, seamlessly woven into garments. “I see fashion as a language of transformation,” notes the designer, who has experimented with magnetic resin, laser-cut mesh, scanning electron microscopy, and 3D molding to create pieces that feel like kinetic sculptures.
Van Herpen’s practice is deeply collaborative, partnering with not only fabric technicians but also architects, physicists, choreographers, and musicians—blending disciplines in a way that feels radical. For her Carte Blanche collection, she worked with kinetic artist Casey Curran to create moving pieces that pulsed and shifted with each step, blurring the line between garment and living organism. Her Magnetic Motion collection, featuring translucent lattice dresses made using stereolithography, stemmed from her visit to CERN’s Large Hadron Collider. Despite her futuristic techniques, Van Herpen’s vision is deeply organic. Her silhouettes often echo natural forms—vortexes, jellyfish, mycelium networks—crafted in ethereal silks, translucent polymers, and recycled materials. Her pieces often appear weightless, yet carry the philosophical heft of science fiction.
The designer’s commitment to haute couture is fundamental for its sustainable, ‘slow’ form of artistry. At Paris Couture Week this summer, she unveiled Sympoiesis—a striking collection merging biotechnology with couture, highlighting a glowing “living dress” powered by bioluminescent algae and biodegradable wedding gowns made from lab-grown bio-protein. “This collection is a collaboration with nature itself. In our time of biological emergency and biodiversity, biodesign invites us to rethink the way we reuse the material,” says Van Herpen.
In an industry increasingly dominated by fast fashion and fleeting trends, this couture house stands as one of the last truly independent ones. Her Amsterdam-based atelier produces each garment on demand, with a close-knit team of 30 specialists working for months on intricate designs. Every piece is custom-made, reflecting an ethos rooted in sustainability and innovation. Through her quietly radical vision, Iris Van Herpen represents a new way of thinking about the body, technology, and the future—where couture becomes a living, breathing experience of wearable art.
