Iris van Herpen holds a non-traditional view on fashion. We oftentimes view the arts as a completely separate entity from the sciences, two paths that never cross. However, van Herpen opens her audience to new ideas, providing a bridge between the two antithetical worlds. Once again, we are shown the importance of interdisciplinary practices, which allow the multiple fields we engage with to flourish. Through the Fall 2018 Collection, Iris van Herpen brings the fashion world to a pause— by slowing down the flow of fabric.
Overhead installations for the show.
Iris Van Herpen draws close attention to the structure and movement of fabric for the latest collection. “Syntopia”, as van Herpen calls it, or essentially “biology merging with technology”. Van Herpen soars to new heights with her ideas as she mimics human desire to fly through the various outfits and setup. The runway stage itself compliments the clothing, as glass figurines atop imitate a course of flight. The overhead installations were done by Studio Drift’s Lonneke Gordijn and Ralph Nauta, breeding collaboration between fields of art as well. Through the use of chronophotography, a photographic technique that dates back to the Victorian era which captures movement in several frames of print, Iris Van Herpen builds the character of each piece. The structure of many garments follow the structure of bird feathers. Van Herpen utilizes the real-world by taking the soundwave patterns of birds and transferred them into the drapes of a red dress.
Look 11 of 19. The pattern and flow of the dress were created based off sound waves.
Herpen not only debuts her creative thought process season by season but furthers the field of science through fashion design and vice versa. Iris Van Herpen is a unique figure to examine in the fashion industry due to the different approach she takes, and is perhaps, one of the most important figures in fashion. The future of fashion is science. As the two fields combine, we find more ways to be efficient, resourceful, and conscious of our own impacts on the world around us. This collection exemplifies the growth of the fashion industry and foreshadows its endless possibilities.
Look 12 of 19. Van Herpen’s fabric manipulation gives the dress its flow and texture.
