The Futuristic Fashion Designer Drawing Inspiration from Fossils

Dutch fashion designer Iris van Herpen uses a combination of borosilicate glass, mylar film, polyurethane, glass organza, polyamide powder, and thermo-plaster polymers to craft the unique, otherworldly dresses admired by celebrities such as Lady Gaga, Tilda Swinton, and Jennifer Lopez. While she may not be widely known, Van Herpen has a loyal following among boundary-pushing women in the arts and music scenes, including long-time collaborator Bjork and Beyoncé, for whom she created a custom caped gown for her "Renaissance" world tour.

Performer Grimes donned a laser cut Van Herpen gown "inspired by distant futures" to the "In America: A Lexicon of Fashion" Met Gala in 2021, a creation that required 900 hours to craft. In 2022, a number of celebrities, such as model Winnie Harlow and singers Teyana Taylor and Dove Cameron, showcased Van Herpen frocks at the "Gilded Age" Met Gala.

Musician Grimes attended the Met Gala in 2021 in a futuristic Iris van Herpen gown which took 900 hours to make.

Evan Agostini/Invision/AP

Cameron's stunning ensemble, inspired by spiral nebulae, required over 600 hours to create using recycled mylar. Cameron praised the unexpected look, likening it to a spine and admiring its intricate and detailed design in an interview with Vanity Fair.

Now, more than a hundred pieces by the designer are on display in a new retrospective exhibition titled "Sculpting the Senses" at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris. The show delves into van Herpen's natural influences, often drawing inspiration from rock formations, fossils, and skeletons.

The translucent, layered "Cosmica" dress featuring clouds of color was created in collaboration with artist and former NASA engineer Kim Keever.

Warren du Preez/Nick Thornton Jones

Throughout each collection, recurring themes such as water, the human skeleton, and the natural world have continued to evolve. Van Herpen explains that these inspirations have taken on various forms over the years. Having grown up in a village along the Waal River in central Netherlands, surrounded by water, she finds it to be an enduring source of creativity: She describes water as "nature's mirror" and expresses its diverse colors and textures through unconventional methods, such as blown glass and laser cutting. The origins of her skeletal designs, like Cameron's Met Gala gown, are a bit more enigmatic, drawing influence from anatomical drawings and museum fossils.

Coco Chanel's fashion influence continues to endure. An upcoming exhibition explores the reasons behind this phenomenon.

Model Winnie Harlow attends the 2022 Met Gala in a Van Herpen creation she deemed "a masterpiece."

Taylor Hill/Getty Images

Interning at Alexander McQueen kickstarted Van Herpen's career before she established her own label in 2007 at the age of 23. Over the years, she has revolutionized traditional couture techniques with groundbreaking materials and a seamless blend of technology. Van Herpen made history in 2010 by showcasing the first 3D-printed dress at Amsterdam Fashion Week, a decade ahead of the trend being recognized by Forbes. The following year, her white synthetic polymer skeletal 3D printed dress wowed audiences at Haute Couture Week in Paris, earning her a spot on Time Magazine's list of the best inventions of 2011. This remarkable creation was later acquired by the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York in 2012.

The Dutch designer avoids following fashion trends in favor of a more daring, experimental, and instantly recognizable approach. Photographer Molly S.J. Lowe, who collaborates with the couture house and features her images in the exhibition's accompanying book, remarked, "You can always identify her work. It's not only beautiful, but also challenging. She is constantly pushing boundaries. It's delicate yet strong at the same time."

"Iris van Herpen: Sculpting the Senses," is on view at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Paris, until April 28, 2024.