Iris Van Herpen Haute Couture Fall 2013

We have been following the work of Iris van Herpen for a while, and she is indeed in a league of her own.

Each piece is embedded with thought-provoking ideas, and drenched with exquisite detailing. In her most recent collection, van Herpen embarked on an exploration of wilderness, nature and how the human body fits into that.

Motifs of nature can be seen through the way in which the organic shapes spiral around the bodies of the models, forming extraordinary silhouettes.



They are architectural, constrained, yet wild. Her designs are transcending the natural limits of clothing, in almost morphing the human figure into something abstract, something changed. The collection is decked with many "hard-shell" looking designs, which themselves are embedded in intricate detail. And not to mention the nymph-like ethereal makeup and hair, which brings to collection together magically.

Now remind us, what's the difference between fashion and art again?

"For me, fashion has always been about setting your own boundaries and making a statement."

-Iris van Herpen

with love.

Raf Simons : an interview

On Growing up...

"I go back to a lot of things I was seeing but not experiencing myself when I was younger. I saw the punk scene happening- I was too young to be involved- and later other strong youth culture groups, but they were thingsI felt I could not be a part of myself. I was from a small village, a very isolated place far from the city, about an hour away from Antwerp. When you are younger this is a long way. I went to a small Catholic college, where artistic things were not promoted at all. So when I picked up ideas from the street, it wasn't in me to be like that myself."

"I had nobody, absolutely nobody who I could relate to, nobody who gave me energy and inspiration."

"I've never had a 'fuck you' attitude. I've always had a sense of responsibility. It was later when I had a good job doing industrial design, living in Antwerp, surrounded by people who gave me inspiration, that I decided to quit my job and change everything."

"What I know about industrial design is that I found it very isolating and that I wanted to move away from it, but now I feel attracted to it again. In the last ten years I'm once again interested in the idea of furniture and making something that lasts and has a different presence."

On Maison Martin Margiela...

"After that [he third Martin Margiela show] I knew I wanted to be a fashion designer.  A very impactful show, I think four out of five people were crying. After that I had a very different idea of fashion."

"When Belgian designers like Martin Margiela started to come out. It was a very strong, impactful time for any Belgian who was interested in fashion."

On Fashion...

"I think that every designer should strive to make a difference, to question things, to find a way of having a dialogue with their audience. That is the most satisfying part for a designer, if your brain and heart is very much about creation."

"I'm not someone who is happy with gut reactions. I'm a creative person so I love the dialogue and energy of the shows. But overall I want to make sure people fall in love with the clothes and that they are satisfied."

"Very often I communicate ideas knowing that there is no specific outcome. Fashion is not there to educate you, but to challenge you. Sometimes I speak with young kids and I have the feeling...not that they have no interest, but that they look at it a different way. This is the reason I chose to do fashion, to create a dialogue and bring people together."

with love.