Iris Van Herpen was one of the first designers up to bat at the opening of Paris Fashion Week. The designer, whom has been a fixture of the event since 2011, is truly qualified to take the lead. Herpen’s much anticipated Spring/Summer 18 Haute Couture collection debuted at noon yesterday at the Galerie de Minérologie et de Géologie. Thankfully the advantage of modern technology gives us an all access pass to the front row.
The museum was an appropriate setting for a collection entitled Ludi Naturae, the classical building had been transformed into an organic fusion of her walking sculptures gliding under abstract aerial blooms that had been created by fellow Dutchman Peter Gentenaar. The effect was immersive, transporting onlookers into the dialogue between Herpen and the natural world. The collaboration with Gentenaar was more than beautiful, it solidified just how much Herpen’s work defies definition with its ability to transcend fashion, couture, architecture, technology and sculpture, by being all of those things and more. She does this impart through pioneering techniques that allow materials to transform, beyond their intended use.
Not only does this level of trailblazing present something unseen, it will also open the doors for other designers and the impact of cross industry collaborations she’s engineered can’t yet be measured. For example, what applications could be taken from her work with liquid mold injections and her perfecting of 3D printing which she has refined still further in the current collection?
Refinement is the operative word here, for this collection whilst graceful and skilled does not quite live up to the visionary Aeriform, Herpens Fall 17 Show. Her floating dresses from that collection like Herpen’s Seijaku dress have set a the bar for timeless elegance that looks to the future. The most successful pieces from Luid Naturae resounded these former triumphs, such as the sheer number that featured as look 22. However, that is not to say there weren’t moments of excitement: this avant-garde geometric jumpsuit complete with head garb is a sign of Herpen’s ability to unlock new silhouettes and surprise us with uncontrived beauty.
The Dutch have a strong artistic lineage, turning out masters from Rembrandt to Vermeer. For Sydney siders, the NSW Gallery has lined up the Golden Age of Dutch Painting, sourcing great works from the Netherlands national collection. Curators of Rembrandt and the Dutch golden age have defined the artists of this time, as in possession of a sensitivity that afforded them with “insight into the visible world”. Through their observation they drew upon compelling moments in nature and domestic life that skilfully unfolded in their paintings. Van Herpen’s body of work emits all the hallmarks of her predecessors and has steered what I would argue as the next Golden Age for Dutch art and design. Whilst seemingly otherworldly, her pieces are grounded in philosophy and observation – particularly of the body, the way it moves and transforms through dance. There is a lightness of touch and weightless movement in her designs that is much unlike the soft light in a Vermeer portrait. Herpen’s designs are a symphony of contradictions, offsetting the opaque to the sheer, metal breaking form and volume against gravity. In her own words:
“There’s beauty in contrast, new terrains are found at the intersection between precision and chaos, art and science, the human touch and the high-tech, the artificial and the organic”.
Iris van Herpen
How do you rate the new collection? We would love to hear your thoughts below!
