In New York, Iris van Herpen invites public to try their hand at haute couture
New York - Around a table, two women chat quietly while pleating a silver fabric that a third attaches to the train of a mermaid gown.
Gradually, a sculptural tangle forms, resembling frozen sea foam, lava flows and climbing ferns.
The garment was born from the imagination of Dutch designer Iris van Herpen. She is known for her haute couture looks inspired by nature and the living world, ranging from the seabed and fungi to the skeletal structures of birds.
Her runway shows cause a sensation, and her creations have been seen on popstars Lady Gaga and Beyoncé, as well as freestyle skier Eileen Gu.
Unusually, those helping the 42-year-old designer craft this gown are visitors to a retrospective of her work at the Brooklyn Museum in New York, running until January 3.
The touring exhibition, first presented in Paris in 2024, invites visitors to discover the couturier's atelier and her creative process.
This time, van Herpen decided to make it interactive. This allows the public to literally get a feel for what characterises this atelier: “manual” and “collaborative” work, she explained to Agence France-Presse (AFP).
“It also allows me to create a sort of time capsule of the exhibition,” she added. “Furthermore, I was simply curious to see who I would meet, how all of this could become a new piece, and how these conversations influence the draping process. So it is a bit of an experimental playground.”
Since the summer, some 200 visitors — including artists, scientists, lawyers and journalists — have had the opportunity to sit opposite her for around ten minutes to work and talk.
In addition to pleating a thick fabric made of silk and silver, the designer asked them to share a moment of connection with nature or the sense that plays the most important role in their relationship with the world.
“Truly authentic”
The exchange offers further insight into the Dutch designer's sources of inspiration, particularly water: “this ancient being that has always been there, such a vital and transformative force”.
From clouds, rain and snow to ice and crystal: “It is just incredible to see how it is everywhere, always changing.”
The conversations are recorded, and the most memorable ones will be embroidered inside the gown.
Accustomed to working with scientists to design fabrics and garments, the designer noted that she particularly values the expertise of biologists.
April Chapman, a university administrator in her sixties, spoke to her about outfits made with her mother and crafts, such as “collages and cardboard constructions”, made with her son.
Addam Moreno, a 54-year-old hairstylist and artist, touched upon “transcendentalism and meditation”.
“I love her methodology,” he continued: “It was beautiful to be able to chat while keeping our hands busy. I think there was something in that which allowed us to step back from the situation and have a truly authentic conversation.”
Accompanying him, 48-year-old lawyer Shannon Green savoured her luck as she was questioned by visitors who did not have the chance to sit opposite van Herpen.
“I had never worked on a haute couture gown. I had never met a living artist of her stature and with her achievements. So, simply having a real human interaction with her is very special.”