Paris might be home to a legacy of traditional Haute Couture masters, but it appears that, lately, the city has become aware of its experimental, cutting-edge potential (If London had its own couture week, these might be its budding stars).
Here are six designers that would make Coco Chanel a tad restless.
Dutch designer Iris van Herpen showed another haunting and innovative couture collection in Paris Monday amidst rumors that she may have the honor of designing Katniss Everdeen’s wedding dress for this fall’s Catching Fire, the second Hunger Games installment.
Herpen would be absolutely perfect for the job–her structural, futuristic aesthetic is very Capitol-esque. Only she’s not doing it.
The Conde Nast College is no longer a myth. It will be opening in London’s Soho district in January 2013. {Refinery 29}
Didn’t think a “killer red lip” could actually kill your job, did you? Neither did Francine Siddaway, until she was fired for wearing too much make-up. {Stylelist}
Gucci has launched a year-round travel collection for those of us who need Gucci for every occasion. {WWD}
Jean Paul Gaultier has released his second collaboration with La Perla {WWD}
Ever since Alexander McQueen’s Met Exhibit shattered records, more and more museums have been opening their hallowed halls to display clothing–not art. And, according to Forbes, the payoff is great–both for the designer and the museum. “Museums have discovered the magic formula for making the exclusive world of high fashion accessible to everybody for the Read more →
Last night, the Webby Awards took place here in NYC. We didn’t win anything, though we were selected as an Official Honoree in the fashion category (thanks, Webbys!). Fashion winners included SHOWStudio for the official Webby and, for the second year in a row, Vogue.com got the People’s Voice award. While sadly, we were not Read more →
PARIS–Iris Van Herpen is perhaps one of the most creative designers we’ve seen during couture week. Her clothes are made from materials and techniques that are rarely seen in a fashion studio, ranging from plastics used for product design to methods used in architecture.
Her collection yesterday was inspired by digital technology–and that was expressed both in technique and in design.
Her clothes are made using various computer programs, which “allows me to obtain results that would be impossible to do entirely by hand,” Iris told us about her trademark fish scale-like plastic materials, created out of thousands of superimposed, hair-thin strips.
As for the clothes, they looked like they walked right out of Avatar, and we had to keep reminding ourselves we weren’t staring into our computer screen.
PARIS–Mechanical Couture, an exhibition which opens next week at Israel’s Design Museum Holon, calls attention to the couture-tech courtship. So we thought it was time we caught up with Dutch designer Iris van Herpen, whose S/S 2011 collection includes a fossil-thin bolero made by what is essentially a 3D printer. From collaborations with Ecco leather, Rem D Koolhaas’ shoe line United Nude and choreographer Nanine Lenning, Iris manipulates materials into structural explorations that have brought weary showgoers to their feet. We tracked Iris to her Paris showroom to find out what it’s like to go hi-tech…and to demand an explanation for her absence from London Fashion Week last month, where the 26-year-old designer has been showing since her graduation from talent incubator Central Saint Martins.
Your shows are always jaw-droppers and a highlight of LFW, what made you bow out so soon before?
I skipped LFW this season because after I showed a few pieces at Amsterdam (Fashion Week). I got a lot of nice orders and I was crazily busy with them at the time. Also the most difficult pieces were ordered, like the water dress and the huge water collar! I did not think I would ever to be able to make them again, but, surprisingly, I am doing it at the moment.
