Iris Van Herpen Is Fashioning a New Reality

Iris van Herpen is a fashion designer, but it’s a title that barely captures the scope of her imagination. Her practice reaches far beyond the runway, drawing on everything from the natural sciences to astronomy. The results are extraordinary garments that seem to belong to some otherworldly ecosystem.

You might know Van Herpen’s work from her groundbreaking 3D-printed dress, or her biomorphic creations for Bjork or Lady Gaga, or the bubble dress that Eileen Gu wore to the Met Gala. She’s even created a garment that incorporates living, bioluminescent algae.

These couture designs take their cues from the natural world, and use cutting-edge technology to bring to life often overlooked forms like the intricate structures of fungi or the undulations of the ocean. And while we tend to think of biology and technology as two separate realms, van Herpen sees them as much more closely intertwined. In fact, she believes the distinction between them may not be so clear-cut.

That’s something we explored when Culture Editor, Min Chenm caught up with her at the Brooklyn Museum, which is currently hosting “Sculpting the Senses.” It’s a retrospective featuring more than 140 of her designs. The exhibition opened in May and has been so popular that it's been extended through January 2027.

In their conversation, we talked about her lifelong fascination with nature, her discovery of technology, and the curiosity that continues to power her practice. We also explored a question that lies at the heart of her work: What happens when technology doesn't take us further away from nature, but brings us closer to it?