If anyone is ready for the metaverse and the expressive, out-of-this-world outfits that virtual fashion will afford us, it’s Iris van Herpen. Over the past 15 years, the Dutch designer has carved out a niche as fashion’s most future-facing designer, redefining the old-world charm of couture to show how technology can and will transform the way we dress. Consider the fact that she began experimenting with 3D printed clothing way back in 2009—and that almost all of her designs today begin life as computer models, making her uniquely placed to outfit virtual events. “All of the 3D prints that we’re doing are digitally designed first, so all those looks are basically already ready for the metaverse,” she explained at a preview. “Couture is where my heart is. For me, technology is a tool that makes it possible to bring the craftsmanship forward.”
Looking forward has always been Van Herpen’s gift. Though this fall 2022 collection marks her 15th anniversary, she was never going to trot out a retrospective of her favorite archive pieces. “I thought about it for about three seconds,” she laughed. “And then I realized—No! I want to look forward. I’ve always done that. The collection is very future-oriented, inspired by post-humanism, by transforming identities, the metaverse, but also hyperreality, where digital reality and physical reality are becoming indistinguishable.”
Naturally, to look forward, one has to look back—to the eighth century and Ovid’s Metamorphoses in this case. “Those poems are so timeless,” Van Herpen said. “We are still facing those same questions: Who are we beyond our physical bodies? Where are we going as human beings?” Inspired predominantly by three poems, those of Daphne, Arachne, and Narcissus, she designed 16 physical looks and three digital looks to be worn by avatars for her show at the Élysée Montmartre. The only snag? A last-minute outbreak of COVID-19 among members of the technical team who were set to operate mixed-reality headsets for the audience meant the digital part of the show couldn’t go ahead.
No matter. The audience was entranced initially by a skeleton sculpture by Casey Curran depicting the nymph Daphne in the center of the runway, surrounded by gold laurel leaves suspended from the ceiling, her organza spine undulating in the breeze. As for the show: Van Herpen’s intricately constructed pieces, many of which blend hand-executed couture techniques with 3D printed panels and innovative sustainable materials, were mind-boggling to behold. The opening look, for instance, comprised a biodegradable fabric made of banana leaf blended with raw silk which formed the sinuous Grecian draping. A chocolate brown jumpsuit that rippled as model Cindy Bruna walked was made from a 3D printed fiber based on the shells of cocoa beans, which was combined with upcycled organza.
What will the next 15 years bring? An exhibition at Paris’s Musée des Arts Décoratifs is on the 2023 agenda. But Van Herpen is mainly excited about the prospect of “mixed reality, where the digital and physical can go together.” She continued: “I don’t believe in replacing the physical beauty that we’re creating—that’s why I want the digital looks to be an extension of the physical looks. They need the same soul, the same intricacy, the same craftsmanship.” Will her clients embrace couture 2.0? “All of my clients are basically art clients,” she smiled. “The more time people will be in the metaverse and the more they go to openings and happenings in the metaverse, the more they will want to wear something beautiful as well. It’s still in the early phase, but it will come.”
