On our blog, we have featured well-established figures of the world of fashion, design and art in general with a long career. Today we want to take a turn and mention a Dutch designer who ticks all the boxes except one: she is an established designer who is only 40 years old. She has an outstanding talent, originality and plastic strength that led her to win the coveted ANDAM award in 2014.

The Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris is paying tribute to her with a retrospective exhibition that we can enjoy until the end of April this year.

We have been able to visit the exhibition and enjoy her sculptural and futuristic collections.

Since she was a child, Iris Van Herpen has been passionate about nature and classical dance. These two themes are reflected in some way in her work. She always maintains a perfect balance between craftsmanship, technology and sustainability. She experiments with materials, generating a very particular way of making Haute Couture in which manual processes and the most advanced digital techniques coexist harmoniously. We will be able to see laser-cut 3D printed dresses.

What takes the most time when designing a collection is research. According to Van Herpen, what excites her most about the creative process is finding new techniques and materials and people to work with. It’s really a path of learning, of trying, experimenting and making mistakes and she says that is the most important part of the work and collections.

Not a fan of commercialism, she prefers to describe her work as artistic. Not surprisingly, she has held exhibitions in important art institutions such as the Palais de Tokyo. “For me fashion is a form of art that is close related to me and my body. I see it as a very personal expression of identity combined with desire, mood and culture.”

Her work requires collaboration with scientists and artists from various disciplines. “I am definitely not a scientist,” she says. “I get a lot of inspiration from different fields, but I really see myself as a designer who is introducing those diverse areas into fashion. And that is my goal. It is not about the art or science separately; it is about taking bits from different fields and bringing them into my work.”

Her spectacular creations have the approval of actresses, singers and celebrities in general. Stars of international stature such as Björk or Lady Gaga have chosen Van Herpen’s looks for their performances. In fact, Gaga went viral thanks to, among other things, the dress by Iris van Herpen that she wore at the ceremony of the MTV Video Music Awards 2020.

Actresses such as Fan Bingbing, Cate Blanchett or Indya Moore have also chosen Van Herpen’s designs to walk the red carpet. Also models such as Naomi Campbell, Coco Rocha or Soo Joo Park.

For those of you who have the opportunity to visit the City of Light, you can’t miss this retrospective of Iris Van Herpen, because it will be a source of inspiration in every aspect.