Not many designers have sought ways to incorporate technology and architecture into fashion quite like Iris van Herpen. This Dutch designer has established her niche within the fashion industry through her use of unconventional materials and 3D printing that highlight her commitment to innovation and unique creative process.
Collaboration Leads to Innovation
The exhibition, Iris van Herpen: Transforming Fashion, highlights the designer's progressive approach to fashion by showcasing her designs from 2008 to 2015. This exhibition, seen alongside Philip Beesley: Transforming Space, transports viewers to a realm where architecture, technology, science, and fashion all come together.
Iris van Herpen's ability to blend disciplines with her fashion designs has resulted in partnerships with professionals of engineering, scientific, and architectural backgrounds. Of note, van Herpen celebrated her tenth year in fashion through her Aeriform collection, which was showcased during Paris Couture Week and displayed the use of materials such as metal lace to create geometric patterns and bubbles.
Well Known Works
Among van Herpen's most well-known works are:
The Aeriform Collection: This collection offers captivating designs created in partnership with architect Philip Beesley, drawing inspiration from the air. Its fine, laser-cut metal lace is shaped into domes that resemble light-reflecting air bubbles and float around the body.
The Chemical Crow's Collection: Garments in this collection defy the norms of textile-based fashion and are constructed from golden umbrella ribs.
Magnetic Motion Collection: This collection showcases van Herpen's inventiveness in material manipulation by harnessing the power of magnetism.
The Voltage Collection: Inspired by the powers of electricity, the Voltage Collection is a depiction of the interaction between energy and movement.
The Line Between Fashion and Art
According to van Herpen, fashion is an art form rather than merely a means of creating apparel. Her creations, which represent her intense interest in the natural world and human expression, offer various explorations of movement, science, and the unknown. This layered creative approach has been displayed most recently through her exhibition, Sculpting the Senses, at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris. With partnerships with sound designers, biologists, and artists, the exhibit offers a comprehensive look at van Herpen's collaborative efforts.
Through Iris van Herpen's use of cutting-edge technology, unconventional fashion materials, and collaborative approach to design, the notion of fashion as a tool for inquiry, transformation, and creativity is displayed through the designer's work and can thus be aligned with ideas from the book The Creative Spark. By illustrating how fashion can cross conventional barriers and become a tool for technological innovation, van Herpen's work aligns with The Creative Spark's focus on the value of curiosity and interdisciplinary thinking, and offers a look into the evolving process of creative fashion design.
Hi Alexa! I really enjoyed reading about Iris Van Herpen and her incredible designs. The fashion world is one that I have not delved into very much in my personal life, but seeing Van Herpen's designs and visions were very inspiring. The way that she blends not only high fashion but also technology and architecture is so cool to see and something that I think fashion designers try to replicate, but don't quite hit the right notes.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite peice that you showcased in this blog post would have to be The Chemical Crow's Collection. I just find it so fascinating that she uses 3D printing to elevate her peices in a way that fashion isn't typically. I also just love the sharp shapes that it makes and further drives home the point that fashion doesn't have to be done a single way or have to be a certain shape.