Iris van Herpen, the Dutch haute couture designer, is redefining the lines between art and fashion. Known for her innovative approach that fuses technology, science, and nature, van Herpen has captivated icons like Björk, Beyoncé, and Tilda Swinton. In her Amsterdam atelier, she has created a realm where couture is more than clothing; it’s a language, an art form, and, ultimately, an experience. Her work invites audiences to engage deeply, much like one would with fine art.
Van Herpen, who admires the late Azzedine Alaïa’s intimate showcases held at his own home, envisions similar personal encounters for her creations. Residing outside Amsterdam with her partner, sound designer Salvador Breed, she’s inspired by their natural surroundings, which resonate within her work’s themes.
A Seamless Fusion of Science, Art, and Fashion
Since 2007, van Herpen has carved a unique niche in fashion by integrating 3D printing, scientific exploration, and unconventional materials into her creations. With a deep fascination for how art and fashion intersect, she has joined forces with marine biologists, architects, and physicists, bridging worlds rarely seen together in couture.
Her recent exhibition, Iris van Herpen: Sculpting the Senses, held at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris and later in Brisbane, highlights the widespread fascination with her work. This retrospective display drew record-breaking audiences, many of whom spent hours absorbing the intricacies of her designs. “I really learned that people understand the work so much better by really having time to look at it,” van Herpen remarked, reflecting on the experience of seeing audiences engage thoughtfully with her art.
The ‘Hybrid Show’: Pushing Boundaries in Haute Couture
Her Hybrid Show, a significant addition to Paris Haute Couture Week, exemplified her shift toward larger-scale, immersive installations. Featuring “aerial sculptures” made from tulle, it marked her exploration of “pure” artistic expression. Models like Coco Rocha donned van Herpen’s iconic pieces, interacting with attendees in a gallery-like setting.
This experience inspired a new approach to her craft, where she could blend the sensory intimacy of an art exhibition with the drama of a runway show. For van Herpen, merging these worlds offered both liberation and artistic satisfaction, allowing her to explore couture’s potential as a living, breathing art form.
Art Versus Design: An Evolving Perspective
For van Herpen, couture exists at a unique crossroad between art and design. Unlike other designers focused primarily on visual appeal, her aim is to evoke emotions and tell stories through her pieces. “There’s a difference between art and design in that sense,” she notes, “where an artwork captures an emotion, transferring that to the audience.”
Van Herpen’s commitment to intricate detail and movement – evident in her feminine designs and flowing silhouettes – adds an artistic essence to each piece. Her work is a testament to the power of couture as an artistic medium that can challenge, inspire, and speak to viewers on an emotional level.
Finding Balance: Collaboration and Solitude
Working in haute couture involves an intense collaborative process, especially in the complex world of van Herpen’s atelier. Yet, she also values moments of solitary reflection, where she can dive deeply into her work. Alternating between collaboration and personal focus has provided her a dynamic balance that shapes her artistic growth.
This balance reflects the recent shifts in her lifestyle, moving from bustling Amsterdam to a tranquil, nature-filled environment. In her new home, van Herpen finds inspiration in the organic rhythm of nature, which she channels into her designs. Her connection to the changing seasons and the landscape around her enriches her work, bringing an authentic energy that permeates her latest creations.
Nature as Muse: A Bio-mimicry Approach
Nature has always been an essential inspiration for van Herpen, often visible in the organic, flowing structures of her designs. Growing up surrounded by rivers in the Netherlands, she developed a strong connection to the natural world, a sentiment that continues to shape her work through a process known as biomimicry. By studying natural forms and structures, she crafts pieces that feel alive, harmonizing with the human body in a way that mirrors nature’s own designs.
In her recent transition to a home outside the city, she experiences nature daily, absorbing its changing rhythms, which, in turn, influence her creations. She describes this reconnection as a kind of “energy” that fuels her art, emphasizing her belief in fashion as a living expression deeply tied to one’s surroundings.
Rethinking Fashion’s Fast-Paced Rhythm
Van Herpen is a vocal advocate for slowing down fashion’s rapid pace. Inspired by Azzedine Alaïa, who resisted traditional fashion schedules, she questions the industry’s demand for constant production. Alaïa’s approach, showcasing his collections in his own time, resonates with van Herpen’s desire to present work when it feels complete, rather than adhering to a strict timetable.
“Fashion is very, very rigid,” she observes, contrasting it with other art forms like music or architecture, where creators reveal their work when it’s ready. She dreams of a couture landscape that values craftsmanship and thoughtful presentation over the pressure to meet seasonally-driven deadlines.
The Future of Haute Couture: A Laboratory for Ideas
To van Herpen, haute couture is a breeding ground for innovation and experimentation. Unlike mainstream fashion, couture offers designers the freedom to explore, develop, and execute concepts that challenge conventional ideas. She sees her atelier as a space where past, present, and future merge, creating a fertile ground for new possibilities in design and technology.
She’s especially passionate about merging traditional craftsmanship with groundbreaking technology. While she acknowledges that handcrafting everything is impractical, she sees potential in using tools like 3D printing to personalize pieces. In her eyes, couture can become a more personal, intimate expression of individuality, a sentiment she hopes will resonate with a broader audience.
Fashion as a Personal Language
Van Herpen believes fashion is a profound form of self-expression. In a world often focused on mass production, she champions a return to fashion’s roots as an individualistic art form. Couture, in her view, is a “language” that allows wearers to communicate without words.
“When a lot of people think about fashion today, they think about mass production,” she says, “but ultimately, it’s a personal expression of who you are. It can be a form of art even.” Her high-profile clients – artists and visionaries themselves – understand this sentiment, viewing couture not just as attire but as an extension of their identities.
Her Influential Clientele: Art, Fashion, and Identity Intersect
The relationship between van Herpen and her clients is reciprocal. Icons like Björk, Beyoncé, and Tilda Swinton are more than fans; they’re patrons of her work who resonate deeply with her vision. Many of her clients are art collectors who proudly display their commissioned pieces at home or even donate them to museums.
Reflecting on this unique relationship, she notes, “All of my clients are art collectors as well. So for some, I’m making a look for them to wear. Some of them are displaying it in their homes as artwork.” This melding of art and couture, she says, is a testament to the open-mindedness and creativity of her clients, who recognize the beauty in merging art with fashion.
Van Herpen’s work continues to captivate, inspire, and blur boundaries. By marrying traditional artistry with modern technology, she crafts creations that transcend fashion’s typical constraints, embodying a vision of couture as a boundless, expressive medium. Her designs remind us that fashion is more than what we wear; it’s a statement, an identity, and, for those bold enough to embrace it, a form of living art.
