Iris van Herpen

Iris van Herpen (1984) discovered her fascination with fashion at an early age when she stumbled upon a mini-museum of clothing and costumes in her grandmother’s attic. After studying at ArtEZ, and interning at Alexander McQueen, she founded her own fashion house at the age of 23. The rest is history. This fall, Kunsthal Rotterdam invites you to immerse yourself in her groundbreaking world with more than 100 revolutionary and artisanal designs.

Van Herpen’s designs are an interaction between dream and reality— organic elements and futuristic materials merge. Van Herpen’s interest in natural particles and how they can move and grow, forms the basis of her creations. In her haute couture, she emphasises structures, colours, and patterns, with detailed repetitions. The models’ bodies become one with the works they wear. Herpen shows the relationship between nature and futuristic elements that can influence and sometimes take over the natural process.

Cover Image: One of the designs from Sympoiesis, Iris van Herpen’s latest collection, presented during Paris Haute Couture Week, July 2025 © Rob Rusling