A Conversation with Iris Van Herpen

What would you like us to know about this collection?

Carte Blanche is created in collaboration with French artist, Julie Gautier, and is a film inspired by womanly bravery and perseverance. It is an ode to the ongoing resilience and strength of women worldwide and to the strength of Iranian women. The collection is filmed underwater, where the symbolism of water is used to subdue female shapes into a choreography that slowly disembodies control. The dramatic choreography tells a story of fortitude, resistance and finding freedom.

Are you using any technologies that contribute to the evolution of your collections?

The collections are embedded with various technologies such as 3D printing, 3D laser-cutting 3D scanning and injection moulding.

Why is it important that fashion is always evolving, that it never stays the same?

The world is in constant evolution around us; fashion needs to reflect these movements and zeitgeist. This is the only way we can move forward in vision, beauty, sustainability, and positive impact. 

Evolution and improvement are related. What is one essential improvement the industry could be making?

Evolution and improvement are indeed highly related, one essential improvement for the industry is to produce more locally and to produce less seasonally. 

It’s 2025, how might you have evolved?

My design process has shifted radically. When I design, I think about how the design looks, feels, moves and how it can transform and elevate the wearer. These last years I have created more freedom with my brand to express my vision towards fashion more strongly. I decided to make slow fashion only and to focus on sustainable materials. The coming years I want to take more time for movie designs, museum projects, and design for architecture. I believe the vision of fashion evolves and grows through the symbiosis with other disciplines. It feels important to keep on breaking out of the bubble.

This interview has been lightly edited for clarity.