‘Iris van Herpen: Transforming Fashion’ at the ROM

This week the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) has opened a new exhibition, named ‘Iris van Herpen: Transforming Fashion’, dedicated to the work of a Dutch fashion designer Iris van Herpen. The exhibition also includes special collaborative pieces by Canadian architect Philip Beesley, and runs from June 2, 2018 to October 8, 2018.

One can expect to see a variety of extraordinary designs by Iris made with exceptional craftsmanship and attention to details. Every piece created by her is a true work of modern art, pushing the boundaries and defying the laws of traditional fashion. In her collections she combines and experiments with different materials, shapes, and angles to achieve her desired look. Being a forward-thinking creator, some of her garments look quite futuristic and are way beyond fashion.

Combining technology and design in her creative process, Iris is able to build extraordinary shapes that are out of reach for any other designer who prefers traditional style. Using innovative materials and collaborating with top engineers and architects, Iris creates fascinating designs, which are worn by A-list celebrities like Lady Gaga, Beyoncé, and Björk. For this exhibition she teamed up with Philip Beesley who leads Living Architecture Systems (LAS) , an international research consortium at the University of Waterloo, where he is a professor. Together they produced the Dome dress which was created using delicate and voluminous laser-cut metal lace that was then hand-molded into three-dimensional domes. Besides their collaborative pieces, the exhibition also has a room full of Philip’s ‘Transforming Space’ part, where ‘living labs’ harness the latest emerging technologies into a responsive, breathing , sentient architecture.

Iris van Herpen: Transforming Fashion is co-organized by the High Museum of Art, Atlanta and the Groninger Museum, the Netherlands. The exhibition was curated by Sarah Schleuning, High Museum of Art, and Mark Wilson and Sue-an van der Zijpp, Groninger Museum.

The Exhibition dates: JUNE 2, 2018 TO OCTOBER 8, 2018. You can buy tickets here