Dutch fashion icon Iris van Herpen is renowned for her avant-garde creations that blur the lines between clothing and sculpture. This reputation was solidified once more with her Fall/Winter 2024 Haute Couture presentation, a thought-provoking spectacle that transcended the boundaries of a traditional fashion show.
van Herpen, whose clientele includes art collectors who display her pieces like museum exhibits, presented her collection in a unique gallery-like setting. Here, five couture dresses and four large-scale artworks adorned the walls, creating a visually arresting dialogue between fashion and fine art.
One piece featured white tulle panels adorned with intricate embroidery and textured paint, reminiscent of futuristic relief maps. Live models, their feet anchored to white pumps, intertwined with these panels, their movements adding a dynamic dimension to the artwork. Another showstopper was a golden gown with swirling fabric jutting out from the hip and sleeve. This high-slit stunner, a potential award-season favorite, showcased van Herpen’s mastery of sculptural silhouettes.
van Herpen’s signature “aerial sculptures” – large, transparent panels stretched between steel tubing – formed the base for several other dresses. Delicate materials like tulle were embellished with swirling pearl formations, intricate lace, or dramatic sleeves. One gown featured a glistening bodice sculpted with a heat gun, with sheer fabric tentacles connecting the hips and wrists, blurring the lines between body adornment and abstract art.
The designer’s intent was clear: to forge a closer bond between the worlds of art and fashion. This interdisciplinary approach mirrored her recent exhibition at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs, where couture creations mingled with fossils, avant-garde art, and scientific instruments. This presentation not only showcased van Herpen’s technical prowess but also invited viewers to consider the broader context of her work – the natural world, science, and the boundless possibilities of human creativity.
Following the success of her Paris exhibition, “Sculpting the Senses,” which attracted over 400,000 visitors, Iris van Herpen is taking her work on a global tour. The next stop is the Queensland Gallery of Modern Art in Brisbane, Australia, with subsequent destinations planned for Singapore, the Netherlands, and a final, yet-to-be-revealed location in the United States. It’s a testament to the captivating nature of van Herpen’s work that it finds such a welcoming home not just on the runway, but also within the hallowed halls of art museums.
Read more: Iris van Herpen’s intertwined worlds bloom at Musée des Arts Décoratifs exhibition in Paris
©Photo: Iris van Herpen
