AS fashions’ greatest talents resolve how to present their collections in the virtual sphere, the designs of Iris van Herpen – with their well-established synthesis of sharp techniques, science and technologies – appear unnervingly prescient, yet, utterly absorbing in their harmony with this digital age.
Renowned for continually looking beyond the parameters of a simple needle and thread, swathes of fluid fabric and drape, for the Dutch designer, even the laws of gravity can be surpassed, presenting a couture collection that was, quite literally, out of this world.
Entitled Earthrise, van Herpen approached this collection from the perspective of an Astronaut aboard Apollo 8, gazing at the colossal, sapphire orb, bubbling and breathing below. Following this thread, van Herpen’s billowing, gently swirling silhouettes, reflected the breath of earth, allowing a sense of wonder and mystery to seethe in every stitch.
Captured by Masha Vasyukova in a short film set in the Dolomites, van Herpen’s usual sinuous lines snaked around the body, rendered in shades of teal and shimmering silver organza, offset with acute shoulders that pointed to the sky.
For this collection, van Herpen enlisted the skills of French-British artist Rogan Brown, who creates meticulously detailed paper sculptures drawn from scientific illustrations. Sharing a vision that seamlessly aligns with van Herpen’s own, Brown embarked on the painstaking task of dissecting sheets of paper to form hand-stitched, spirally draped panels to symbolise natures cycle of growth and decay.
In a more literal ode to the spherical shape of Earth, several gowns are adorned with tiny circles of varying sizes and colours, imitating the microscopic formation of butterfly scales, which, with several dresses crafted into the curvature of wings, allows the models to morph into glistening iterations of the creatures themselves, fluttering over the mountainous landscape.
The climax came with a shot of the female world-champion skydiver Domitille Kiger performing a choreographed routine as she plummets through the sky’s blue abyss. This collection is a testament to how, when composed with high artisanship and precision, couture can feel as though its floated to earth from the depths of space, seemingly exceeding the ability of human hands, an art van Herpen has become a master of.
by Sophia Ford-Palmer