PaperCity Magazine

May 2017 Dallas

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38 on the mannequins starts. There is no drawing involved. While draping, the concept is being received and defined. Then patternmaking starts. But sometimes it's the other way around — I'll have a concept in my mind and then look for materials and techniques that translate it. But a concept is something very transformative that evolves and changes so often, that when I start with a concept, the process of the collection becomes very chaotic. Art of collaboration. The most personal and inspirational collaboration of all was with architect and artist Philip Beesley. I saw his work many years back and felt wired; it was like seeing undiscovered land. Without knowing him or even meeting him, I decided to make my Hybrid Holism collection inspired by his work. He saw the collection and visited me in my studio in 2012. We shared all kinds of samples, experiments, and dreams, and started collaborating on my Voltage collection. From that moment, we have continued our collaboration, like the glitch dresses from the latest collection. They are made from little expandable, laser-cut Mylar waves that move so fast around the body that the eyes can't focus, creating glitches. Generally, we think in different scales with different techniques, but that is where the unforeseen is created — by sharing these differences and challenging each other to see new solutions. When science meets fashion. I do not design or work with nanotechnology directly, but nanotechnology is quite often used in material science and fabric development, so some fabrics I've worked with are developed with the help of nanotech to improve their features. At home in Amsterdam. My studio is located at the river Het IJ in Amsterdam, where we have a beautiful view of houseboats and sailboats. It's like being on holiday — the whole atelier takes a swim during our lunch break in the summer. The building is a characteristic, yellow-stoned warehouse with lots of wood and metal pillars. The studio is very light, with nine big windows to the water. It's my favorite place to be. I feel at home here, even more than at my [own] home. I am here most of my time, working with the atelier on designs and experiments. It's full of mannequins, sewing machines, pattern tables, computers, material experiments, art from artists who inspire me, and the studio cat, Spin, who keeps us calm in busy times. Your wardrobe. I have three ways of dressing. The first is utterly basic, when I don't want to think about myself: black skinny trousers and a black sweater. The second is for semi- special moments, or when I am just bored of my black. This is when I wear a long, silk, traditional Japanese kimono with a colored pattern and a belt. My third way of dressing is for special moments — a couture dress from my archive. What's next. At the moment, I'm working on my next couture show for Paris in July. It will be a special one, where we will celebrate 10 years of [my brand]. I am also working with contemporary dance choreographer Sasha Waltz on her new creation that will premiere in Berlin in June, and also on a collaborative design project in architecture. On transforming fashion. It was through collaboration and my interest in architecture that I discovered more and more possibilities outside the usual processes in fashion. Some techniques used in architecture triggered me to think differently about my own process. The magnetically grown dresses of my Wilderness Embodied collection caused a big transformation in the process, as we used the natural power of magnetism to shape — or to grow — the textures. I was searching for the fine balance between order and chaos in the process of these garments; same for the water pieces of my Crystallization and Capriole collections. Making chaos the uncontrollable part of the design process is frustrating. But when it works, you can see in the outcome that more than a human hand has shaped it. There is a natural beauty to find. Next to the process, the experience of wearing a garment like this is also transforming. A garment made especially for you is such a different emotion than buying a mass- produced garment. It is this understanding of what we are, where we live, what we eat, what we consume, what we wear, what we think, what we know, and what we pass on. "Iris van Herpen: Transforming Fashion," on view at the Dallas Museum of Art, May 21 through August 20, dma.org. Iris van Herpen in collaboration with Julia Koerner and Materialise, Biopiracy dress, March 2008, 3-D printed TPU 92A-1, silicon coating Magnetic Motion dress, September 2014, 3-D printed transparent photopolymer, SLA resin PORTRAIT JEAN BAPTISTE MONDINO Iris van Herpen

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