Iris van Herpen continues her foray into biomimicry fashion exploration with a new avant-garde collection that draws inspiration from James Lovelock’s Gaia theory. This new range interprets oceanic ecosystems as a metaphor for planetary interconnectedness. The silhouettes translate fluid marine movements and fragile underwater lifeforms into extraordinary wearable art.

Iris van Herpen’s biomimicry fashion approach pushes material innovation to new frontiers. The designer employs cutting-edge biotechnologies like Spiber’s Brewed Protein fiber alongside traditional couture techniques to create garments that appear to capture moments of aquatic transformation. The designs showcase her signature technical mastery through suspended wave-like silk formations preserved in resin, jellyfish-inspired floating constructions that use Japanese airfabric and carbon fiber, and coral-textured surfaces achieved through laser-cut fermented proteins. These material experiments are enhanced by a bespoke oceanic fragrance developed by Francis Kurkdjian.

Image Credit: Iris van Herpen