Iris Van Herpen’s Ever-Evolving Art of the Spectacular
For Iris Van Herpen, Haute Couture has a transformative power that transcends boundaries for its blend of state-of-the-art technologies and intricate craftsmanship. With its Fall-Winter 2024 Haute Couture collection, the Maison challenges traditional fashion codes by proposing an organic and innovative vision of femininity. Baptized Architectonics, the line creates a world of fantasy populated by spectacular silhouettes of a futuristic flair. Inspired by marine structures and bionic innovations, this sophisticated proposal transports us to the cities of tomorrow with every new look that steps on the catwalk. The Dutch designer, a pioneer in her field, put on a mesmerising show that let us fantasise about a hybrid future where humans stand between water and land.
Iris Van Herpen takes the movement of aquatic urbanism as her starting point for creating new couture techniques that blur the boundaries between fashion and architecture. Her looks are digitally modelled even before the draping process, laser-cut from hand-inlaid abalone shell sequins and syringe-injected marbled silicone. One of the most striking looks was a dress resembling a gushing fountain, assembled on a base of thin fibreglass rods carefully balanced to distribute the weight and vibrations exactly within the polygonal shards – resulting in a stunning interplay of fluidity and fragmentation. Architectonics lays the foundations for a future in which aquatic urbanism will be in harmony with marine ecosystems.
On the front row, we spotted Camila Cabello, Maisie Williams, Latto, Suzy Menkes, Meredith Duxbury, Dante Bowe, Miss Fame, Diane Pernet, Nikki Parker and many others.
Text: Emma Grossi
Photos: Rosemarie Ten Voorde
