Iris van Herpen
Dutch fashion designer (born 1984)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Iris van Herpen (born June 5, 1984) is a Dutch fashion designer known for fusing technology with traditional haute couture[1] craftsmanship.[2] 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.[3] Since then, Van Herpen has continuously exhibited her new collections at Paris Fashion Week.[4] 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.
Iris van Herpen | |
|---|---|
Van Herpen during the Haute Couture Spring/Summer 2012 | |
| Born | June 5, 1984 Wamel, Netherlands |
| Occupation | Fashion designer |
| Label | Iris van Herpen |
| Website | Iris van Herpen Official Website |
Career
Iris van Herpen graduated from the ArtEZ University of the Arts in Arnhem in 2006[5] and interned at Alexander McQueen in London,[6] and Claudy Jongstra[7] in Amsterdam before launching her own label in 2007.[8] The Dutch designer debuted her first Couture collection 'Chemical Crows’, at the 2007 Amsterdam Fashion Week.[9]
Van Herpen was one of the first designers to adopt 3D-printing as a garment construction technique.[7]
Since 2009, pop star Lady Gaga has worn Iris van Herpen's designs on several occasions. In 2012, Lady Gaga wore a custom shiny black Couture dress for the launch of her perfume Fame. The shape of the perfume bottle served as the inspiration of the dress, which Van Herpen constructed from laser-cut strips of black acrylic.[2] Van Herpen has also made use of silicones, iron filings, and resin.[10]
In 2017, she exhibited her work at the Dallas Museum of Art in an exhibition, "Transforming Fashion."[11]
From 29 November 2023 – 28 April 2024, the Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Paris exhibited Iris van Herpen. Sculpting the Senses that “pays tribute to one of the most forward-thinking fashion designers.”[12][13] The exhibit traveled to the Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art (QAGOMA),[14] Brisbane, Australia (29 June – 7 October 2024), the ArtScience Museum, Singapore[15] (15 March – 10 August 2025), Kunsthal Rotterdam[16] (27 September 2025 – 1 March 1, 2026), and the Brooklyn Museum[17] (16 May – 6 December 2026). The exhibition was accompanied by a catalog by Iris van Herpen and Cloé Pitiot (ISBN 978-9-401-4-96063).
Future in fashion design
Notably, Iris van Herpen was one of the first to present 3-D-printed dresses in both static and flexible forms on the runway, in a collaboration with the Belgian company Materialise. Her Voltage collection explored the interaction between clothing and electricity. She used Scanning Electron Microscope technology for her Micro collection. She is known not just for using unique materials, but also for creating her own.[7]
Collaborations
Because of van Herpen's multidisciplinary approach to creation, she has collaborated with various artists such as Jolan van der Wiel[18] and Neri Oxman[19] and architects such as Philip Beesley[20] and Benthem and Crouwel Architects.[21] The designer's interest in science and technology has led to ongoing conversations with CERN (The European Organization for Nuclear Research)[22] and Massachusetts Institute of Technology.[23]
Further collaborations;
Awards and recognition
- ANDAM Grand Prix Award (2014)[30]
- STARTS Prize, granted by the European Commission (2016)[31]
- Johannes Vermeer Award, Dutch state prize for the arts (2017)[32]
Gallery
3-D printed neckpiece by van Herpen, 2011
Dress in the Sculpting the Senses 2023-24 exhibition at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris
"Nautiloid" dress in the Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 2024
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