Dutch wunderkind and celebrity favorite Iris Van Herpen has occupied fashion’s edge for years. Van Herpen conjured couture from unexpected sources. They included banana leaves, cocoa beans and even 3D-printed polymers while exploring the intersection of biology, art and design. Monday’s collection at Paris Couture Week was “Sympoiesis.” It felt like the culmination of her restless experimentation. It was a show that dared to imagine clothing as both organism and artifact. Van Herpen sent out a series of gossamer gowns in a shadowy Paris venue spun from alternative fibers so fine and insubstantial they seemed conjured from air itself.
