One to Watch: Iris van Herpen

Dutch designer Iris van Herpen has been pushing the boundaries between fashion and art since her debut at Amsterdam’s International Fashion Week in 2007. Born in 1984, van Herpen studied fashion design at ARTEZ and was an intern at both Alexander McQueen and Claudy Jongstra before starting her own eponymous label.

The van Herpen woman values the art and craftsmanship of traditional couture . . . with a twist. According to van Herpen, her work aims to express the character and emotions of a “unique woman” while extending the shape of the female body through the fabric and materials used to create each piece.

The label’s Spring 2011 collection proves that, in the world of fashion, form does not always have to follow function. All of van Herpen’s designs for this season were created digitally before being re-created through a 3-D printing service called i.materialise. The results: Futuristic garments made entirely of plastic!

For information on Iris van Herpen, please visit her website.