1000 Ideas by 100 Fashion Designers

Iris van Herpen 131

038

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This young designer

hailing from Wamel, the

Netherlands, represents

an avant-garde couture

image with a slight

futuristic undertone.

By experimenting

with unusual materials

and forms as well as

searching for extremes,

Iris van Herpen creates

a new, unlimited

world that tickles

spectators, leaving an

open horizon to their

own interpretations.

Iris van Herpen shows

another vision of what is

beautiful. Not everyone

will have similar ideas

seeing her creations

and this is exactly

what she strives for.

After internships at

Alexander McQueen and

Claudy Jongstra, Iris

van Herpen graduated

at the ArtEZ Academy

of Arts in Arnhem. Her

graduation collection,

as well as collections

presented at two

consecutive shows

at the Amsterdam

International Fashion

Week (2007/08), were

enthusiastically received

by the national and

international press.

Iris van Herpen

www.irisvanherpen.com

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371 INSPIRATION. I start looking for

interesting materials and, when I  nd

them, I experiment and try out different

techniques and ways of working with them.

Then I start thinking of the concept, not

before, because I want to give myself the

space and freedom of experiment in the

beginning of my process.

372 W

ORKPLACE. It must be big enough

to have a few dummies standing next to

each other: you can look to them from a

few meters distance so that you have an

overview of your collection. Otherwise, you

can loose the connection between the sets

and overdo/overuse a material.

373 D

EVELOPING A COLLECTION. I try not

to focus too much on a concept, because

it becomes too obvious very quickly. I

only work with the atmosphere of my

concept in the back of my head. Whatever

style you have, never stick to the  rst

ideas you get with a concept. I use a lot of

leather because every piece is unique and

different to work on. It has more power

and personality than a fabric–and it is

everlasting and timeless. In the end, it

is not about what material you use but

how you use it. If you are a good designer

you can make something beautiful out of

every fabric. But of course, the better the

quality of a fabric or material, the better

the outcome.

374 I

NDIVIDUALITY VS. GROUP BELONGING.

I only make one offs. Fashion should be an

expression of who you are. It is terrible for

me to see so many people wearing the same

clothes and looking the same without a

personal style.

132 1,000 Ideas by 100 Fashion Designers

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Iris van Herpen 133

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376 EVOLUTION. I think every collection

is imperfect on some points. It can be done

better the next time. I learn a lot with

each collection, so I take that with me to

the following one, therefore you try to get

better and better.

377 S

TYLE. I retain experiment, avant-

gardism, and futurism style and I change

materials, shapes, and intension.

378 P

HILOSOPHY. Fashion has different

lives, but the art side of fashion is to

individualize, as it is the expression of the

designer and also the choice of the people of

that time.

379 G

OOD HABITS. Persistence,

personality, and an unmistakable signature.

380 ADVICE. Learn from the people

you admire for their work. Share thoughts,

inspiration, and creativity with other

professionals.

375

C

OMMUNICATION. It is easy

in communication to lose

your personality and present

yourself as someone other than

who you are. By doing that,

you will  nd your brand as

an actor and you will not be

happy. From the beginning,

try to show who you really

are. That is one of the most

difficult parts: to not pretend

too much.

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