Last Friday for my weekly roundup of all things cool, crafty and fashionable I added a link to designer Iris van Herpen’s “Escapism Couture” collection which she debuted at Paris Couture Week back in January. I thought van Herpen’s collection was too amazing to just be a link, so I decided to dig deeper and share with you a little bit more about van Herpen and her amazing 3D printed couture creations. Learn more after the jump!
(Photo courtesy of danielwidrig.com.)
After studying fashion design at ArtEZ in the Netherlands, van Herpen went on to work with both Alexander McQueen and Claudy Jongstra (a design studio in the Netherlands focusing on felt fabrics and specializing in interior decoration, wall hangings and coverings, and tapestries). In 2007 van Herpen launched her own collection and has since won a slew of Dutch design awards and exhibited her work in Germany, London, Tokyo and Paris.
From the “Mummification” collection
Photos courtesy of irisvanherpen.com
Although at first glance it seems as though her creations are better suited to look at than to wear, van Herpen says that movement is an important factor in her work and that her designs both manipulate and suggest new manners between natural mobility and tension. Van Herpen believes that fashion should be an artistic expression, not simply functional and commercial and you can see that mantra vividly come to life in her designs.
From the “Synesthesia” collection
Photos courtesy of irisvanherpen.com
For her first Couture showing in Paris, van Herpen partnered with architect Daniel Widrig and rapid prototyping production company MGX by Materialise to create her second 3D printed collection entitled “Escapism Couture”. Using a nylon polymide material, van Herpen’s designs were 3D printed and then finished off with either selective laser sintering (for the white pieces) or black lacquer. Van Herpen says the collection is a response to our increasing addiction to the digital world, how we use it as an escape from our day-to-day “reality” and how ultimately our future will be the blending of both nature and technology – melding what’s to come with what has been.
From “Escapism Couture”
Photos courtesy of irisvanherpen.com