The Iris Van Herpen Spring 2020 Haute Couture collection includes 21 silhouettes illustrating a portrait of liquid labyrinths, colorful meshworks of cellular geometry are translucently layered to create deep-sea aquarelles. Soft shades of greens, blues and gentle ochres are painted by Shelee Carruthers and juxtaposed with the warming reds of coral reefs.

The flickers and curves of Cajal’s anatomical drawings are revealed in the ‘Labrynthine’ technique; 3D lasercut silk dendrites are heatbonded to blossoming leaves of black transparent glass-organza, to then be hand-embroidered onto lasercut pearlescent exoskeletons. The ‘hypertube’ looks are 3D printed from a single-lined web using white silicone thread, that is printed onto black silk-chiffon, twisting down the body. For the ‘Hydrozoa’ technique, cellular aquarelles of dark purples and turquoise were oil-painted and multi-layered into hundreds of transparent lasercut PetG bubbles.

The glass organza halos were digitally printed, heatbonded and then hand-stitched into voluminous splashes. The file-work of each layer is drawn to hang upwards, blooming aquatically with each movement. The ‘Morphogenesis’ technique is carved by thousands of white screenprinting mesh layers, in collaboration with Philip Beesley.

3D twisted vortex models were created in Rhino software, numbered and sliced into 3mm distance, to then be cut on the KERN lasercutter with a triangulated grid of chevron-holes. Grasshopper scripts smoothened the processes of lofting, slicing and nesting. Each layer was embellished by hand with a grid of minuscule transparent chevrons, creating vibrant coral textures that expand and contract around the body.

Zoom into the story, the craftsmanship and our passionate atelier team that have shaped ‘Sensory Seas’ over the last five months so beautifully.