iris van herpen: transforming fashion at the high museum of art

iris van herpen: transforming fashion at the high museum of art
(above) magnetic motion, september 2014
photo by bart oomes, no 6 studios © iris van herpen
purchase with funds from the decorative arts endowment
and the decorative arts acquisition trust, high museum of art, 2015

‘iris van herpen: transforming fashion’
high museum of art, atlanta
november 7, 2015 through may 15, 2016

this fall, atlanta’s high museum of art presents a major collection of imaginative sculptural wearables by dutch fashion designer iris van herpen. the exhibition ‘iris van herpen: transforming fashion’ features 45 outfits carefully selected from 15 of van herpen’s collections, designed between 2008 through 2015. these haute couture creations have been celebrated for their union between traditional craftsmanship and innovative technologies, including some of the first examples of 3D-printed fashion design.

chemical crows, january 2008
photo by bart oomes, no 6 studios © iris van herpen

included are 18 pieces from the designer’s six most recent lines and a selection of shoe designs — all of the displayed on custom mannequins and accompanied by music and videos from her multimedia runway shows. the exhibition offers a comprehensive visual survey of her multifaceted design career to date, with van herpen’s own words accompanying wall texts to highlight the underlying concepts for each piece.

crystallization, july 2010
photo by bart oomes, no 6 studios © iris van herpen

‘iris van herpen’s work is an incredible fusion of artistic expression, craftsmanship and creativity,’ describes curator of decorative arts and design at the high, sarah schleuning.‘the marriage of traditional, handcrafted designs and 21st-century technology makes her work innovative, dynamic and a signifier of a bold, new future for fashion design. with this presentation, the high continues to champion the outstanding visionaries who design the world around us.’

wilderness embodied, july 2013
photo by bart oomes, no 6 studios © iris van herpen

key designs featured in the exhibition include the transparent ‘ice’ dress from the ‘magnetic motion’ spring 2015 collection: three dresses made from the ribs of children’s umbrellas from ‘chemical crows’ january 2008; fashion’s first 3D-printed dress presented in a runway show from ‘crystallization’ july 2010; a dress made of black acrylic sheets constructed in serpentine forms that writhe and ‘breathe’ nicknamed the ‘snake dress’ from ‘capriole’ july 2011; and a selection of shoes, including 3D-printed examples, created in collaboration with united nude.

mummification, january 2009
photo by bart oomes, no 6 studios © iris van herpen