How I Joined the Cult of Iris Van Herpen
Through my entire life, I viewed fashion as something for the girly girls. I was too cool for it and I didn’t particularly care what the new fall trends were. Let’s be honest, I’m sure there was a lot of internalized misogyny ingrained in this mindset. Unfortunately, this toxic mindset really did create a barrier between me and the incredible artists in the fashion industry.
My journey into fashion has been a long, cringe-worthy path. From my love affair with athleisure and too-small GAP sweatshirts, to my long term relationship with puffer vests, I had never really been a fashion lover. That is, until I found a small Youtube channel called HauteleMode. It’s so strange how a passionate individual can change your entire view on an industry. Knowing next to nothing about fashion, I nodded self-righteously as Luke from HauteLeMode eviscerated Maria Grazia Chiuri’s designs as “unimaginative and boring”, and lauded Valentino’s designs as “creative”. Through Luke, I would fall down a whole new rabbit hole.
Fashion, to me, became more than something of personal style or the clothes that I wore everyday. It became art to me. As I explored the apocalyptic statements of Marine Serre and the loud patterns of Chopova Lowena, I stumbled upon the escapist art of Iris Van Herpen. As someone involved in the field of biology, never in my wildest dreams, had I imagined anyone would seek to create a meeting ground between fashion and biology.
Inspired by the structures and functions of various biological phenomena, Iris creates her fluid designs with 3D-printed materials. What drew me to Van Herpen’s designs what the creation of fantasy in unlikely inspirations. I never thought I would see art in clothing inspired by fungi, moss, or even the structure of water. Van Herpen’s unique quality was that she was able to create futuristic designs that could make a person reflect on a Star Trek like universe, from age old concepts. While other concepts of futuristic clothing felt out of reach, Van Herpen’s designs felt both untouchable, but so close.
Iris Van Herpen, to me, because the bridge between manmade creation and nature. A simulation of untouched nature despite being made by human hands. Through Iris Van Herpen, escapism is real.
