Iris Van Herpen “Roots of Rebirth”

Courtesy: Iris Van Herpen

While most of us connect to nature through daily walks around the neighborhood, this past year, designer Iris Van Herpen took a different approach. Inspired by biologist Merlin Sheldrake’s book, “Entangled Life”, Van Herpen brought the world of fungi, roots, and gills to the runway in her Spring Summer 2021 collection titled, ‘Roots of Rebirth’. 

The running theme throughout the collection comes from a quote directly from Sheldrake’s book: “wood wide web”. The idea is that everything in nature is connected, specifically fungi, which is an underground network mostly unseen. Van Herpen’s design choices encapsulated the movement of roots wrapping around the body and fluid forms of fungi and spores growing and shifting as each model walks down the runway. What might be even more impressive is the techniques used to create these garments. The use of laser cutters and 3D printers helped achieve delicate motion and mesmerizing embroidery along with the 'henosis' technique, in which multiple translucent layers of duchess fabric were dyed in pastel hues, forming a 'mantodea' motif. 

Courtesy: Iris Van Herpen

Van Herpen also gives credit to master craftspeople for their contribution to her newest collection. Casey Curran collaborated with Van Herpen to create two kinetic crowns that move as if they are living things. Van Herpen explains it is meant to signify, “the turbulent motion of our minds, through which we rectify our reality.” In another look Van Herpen worked with Parley for the Oceans to incorporate upcycled fabric created from marine debris. It is made up of thousands of fine trilateral tessellations meant to represent, “a fragile symbiosis with the skin through seamless gradients in translucency.” Lastly the smallest detail, but the most fragile is the 3D printed nail art. Sprouting like organisms Japanese designer, Eichi Matsunaga created claw-like nails to drive home the otherworldly experience. 

Photography by Gio Staiano

Although we might not always recognize it, we as humans are a part of nature and as we evolve so do the millions of unseen organisms and life beneath us. Van Herpen states, “With the persistence of time, evolution prevails, and while these beings are never truly fixed, they exist merely in a state of flux, a rippling fabric of life itself, dancing to the benevolent beat of rebirth.” Van Herpen reminds us just how beautiful life can be.