Iris van Herpen


Iris van Herpen is a Dutch fashion designer known for fusing technology with traditional Haute Couture craftsmanship. Van Herpen opened her own label Iris van Herpen in 2007. In 2011, the Dutch designer became a guest-member of the Parisian Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture, part of the Fédération française de la couture. Since then, Van Herpen has continuously exhibited her new collections at Paris Fashion Week. Van Herpen's work has been included in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Victoria & Albert Museum, the Cooper-Hewitt Museum in New York and the Palais de Tokyo in Paris.

Career

Iris van Herpen graduated from the ArtEZ University of the Arts in Arnhem in 2006 and interned at Alexander McQueen in London, and Claudy Jongstra in Amsterdam before launching her own label in 2007. The Dutch designer debuted her first Couture collection 'Chemical Crows’, at the 2007 Amsterdam Fashion Week.
Van Herpen designed and shown her first 3D-printed garment at the 2010 Amsterdam Fashion Week. The ‘Crystallization’ top was inspired from the phase transition water undergoes when it crystallizes. The garment was 3D printed from white polyamide.
Van Herpen’s work can be described as interdisciplinary as she draws inspiration from professions outside of fashion and the arts. Therefore, the designer creates much of her work in collaboration with professionals working in fields of science, technology and architecture. In 2010, Iris van Herpen undertook her first collaboration outside of fashion, when she collaborated with the Dutch architectural firm, Benthem Crouwel Architekten to create her ‘Water’ Dress.
Critics describe Iris van Herpen’s work as both organic and innovative. With New York Times journalist Vanessa Friedman stating: "It’s not that she rejects the heritage of the couture, she just redefines it with modern tools. Once upon a time the sewing machine did the same.”

Collaborations

Because of van Herpen's multidisciplinary approach to creation, she has collaborated with various artists such as Jolan van der Wiel and Neri Oxman and architects such as Philip Beesley and Benthem and Crouwel Architects. The designer's interest in science and technology has led to ongoing conversations with CERN and Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Further collaborations: