Iris Van Herpen x Aubade: Sculptural Lingerie Shows Its Sensuality
More than a fashion designer you are often defined as an artist. How do the world of art and your creations interconnect?
Iris van Herpen : „I’m appealed by both art and fashion and I see my body of work under the sign of creation and the exploration of the unexplored. Fusing multi-discplinary technologies with artisanal craftsmanship within my collections, my ambition is to reinvent today’s perception of fashion as the engine of innovation, defining Haute Couture as a source of transformation.”
As a girl, you studied ballet and the idea of movement is central to your creations. Can you tell us a bit more?
Iris van Herpen : „My first passion was dance. I am trained in classical ballet and therefore, movement has always been an integral part of my design process. Dance has taught me much about my body as well as the transformation of both shape and movement. Taking inspiration from this kineaesthetic aspect and translating it into new forms and materiality, I see fashion as an extension of the human body and ultimately movement itself. It is really about the exploration of new forms of interactions between the body and garment as well as garment and the environment surrounding it.
Last year I collaborated with the Dutch National Ballet and created designs for the ballet dancer Jingjing Mao, which have been captured in the short film Biomimicry. In the performance the dancer finds herself in a future in which mankind, science and nature are closely interwoven - an omnipresent concept throughout my work.”
How important is nature and biomimetics in your creative process?
Iris van Herpen : „My work is deeply rooted within nature. Through biomimicry, I look closely at the forces behind the forms in nature and natural cycles to ultimately explore new shapes, techniques and expressions. This was also the vision, which we wanted to translate in our collaboration with Aubade: an innovative intricacy that expresses an organic femininity, transparency and layering as well as dynamic depth through optical linework. It is beautiful how organic linework can make your eye travel the skin. This was the concept behind it.”
Do you believe creativity and sustainability are compatible in fashion?
Iris van Herpen : „I believe that the future of fashion belongs to sustainability. I see Haute Couture as a transformative language, an interdisciplinary entity that emerges from the space in which innovation and craftsmanship interlace. Each one of my collections is a quest to venture beyond today's definition of a garment, exploring new forms of femininity for a more meaningful, diverse and conscious fashion for the future, whilst focusing on eco-conscious materials and a made-to-order production approach with zero overproduction.”
Are all garments still made in your Amsterdam studio in collaboration with your team?
Iris van Herpen : „Yes. All garments are produced in my Amsterdam atelier.”
What role does lingerie play in the contemporary wardrobe?
Iris van Herpen : „I love lingerie as it’s so personal, its often a hidden gem that is mostly a private experience. In a world that becomes more transparent every day, there is a beautiful mystery to find in lingerie.”
Can you tell us how your collaboration with Aubade came about and what you are working on?
Iris van Herpen : „Aubade approached us for a collaboration for a collection together, expressing the delicate Couture spirit of IVH closely to the skin. First various techniques in the lace were explored with layered embroidery and color gradients embroidered in it. After the lace techniques were developed the design process started and the sampling process.”
How did the collaboration with Aubade come about?
Iris van Herpen : „I was contacted by the lingerie brand to collaborate on a line of corsetry. I liked the idea of expressing a women’s intimacy by creating second-skin products which evolve with the body. In my work I play with transparency and delicate textures, that seem to float over the skin. This experience allowed me to dive in even more into the beautiful core of intimacy. “
How do we move from technological fashion to the world of ancestral knitwear?
Iris van Herpen : „The two universes are not so far apart. Indeed, traditional hosiery is very precise and meticulous; it is a clever mix of technicality and tradition. It takes more than 35 pieces to create a bra, with meticulous grading work, technology is at the service of tradition.”
Your 3D models are unachievable in the traditional way. Was it difficult to adapt to a market, conversely, focused on craftsmanship?
Iris van Herpen : „I like the challenges and complexity of corsetry work, the usage of lace for instance, which I also use in my collections. It’s a real collaboration where each house brought their own unique expertise and where Aubade really envisioned my desires of modernity through the art of corsetry. The Aubade team supported my desires for modernity with corsetry techniques.”
The Aubade x Iris Van Herpen underwear seems sculptural for two reasons: on the one hand, it enhances the feminine curve; on the other hand, it is embellished with your touch giving pride of place to an architectural fashion. Was it obvious?
Iris van Herpen : „I wanted to revisit the signature ethereal gradients of Aubade by adding a drop of modernity… contrasting the graphic architectural lines with the organic shapes of the embroideries. And the botanical patterns unveiling the skin by creating a transparent effect. All worlds of the houses are joined: modernity, transparency and sensuality.”
The collection is available now at https://www.aubade.co.uk/
