This autumn, Kunsthal Rotterdam becomes the stage for Sculpting the Senses, a major exhibition devoted to Iris van Herpen. Known for pushing the boundaries of fashion through pioneering techniques and an unmistakably avant-garde vision, Van Herpen has redefined what couture can be. Over a hundred of her most iconic creations come together in a setting where fashion meets contemporary art, design, and science. Immersive spaces and a soundscape by Salvador Breed set the tone for a journey that reveals fashion not only as something to wear, but as a living dialogue with the world around us. We spoke with Iris van Herpen about the dialogue between her work and contemporary art, the silence her practice requires, and the dreams that continue to shape her vision.
In Sculpting the Senses, your designs are presented in dialogue with contemporary art and natural history specimens. Why was it important to you to showcase your work in this way? What do you hope visitors will feel or understand through that combination?
For me, fashion has never been an isolated discipline; it is in dialogue with art, science, and nature. Presenting my work alongside contemporary art and natural history specimens creates a dialogue that goes beyond fabric and form. I hope visitors sense that fashion is not only something to be worn, but also something to be thought, felt, and experienced — as a window into the greater ecosystems we are part of.
In your latest collection Sympoiesis, you move between ecological fragility and the promise of a new form of interconnectedness with fashion as a living organism. How does this collection relate to the exhibition Sculpting the Senses? Was there a dialogue between creating new work and reflecting on your past collections?
Sympoiesis highlights our interconnectedness and dependence on the wider web of living organisms on Earth. It embodies a deeper bond with nature and a reconsideration of our role within the larger ecosystem. We need to take better care of all life forms that sustain us and keep us alive. The living look became a symbol of the oceans that urgently need our protection. In the exhibition, you’ll encounter themes that move from micro to macro, and many forms of biomimicry; learning from the intelligence embedded in nature itself, so that our human inventions and creativity can evolve and improve.
You’re surrounded by a young and multidisciplinary team. How do you select the people you work with, and how important is it for you to bring together different fields of expertise?
I look for people who not only bring skills, but also carry a strong sense of wonder, curiosity, and perseverance. My atelier is a place where disciplines merge: architecture, biology, technology, and traditional craft. That diversity feeds the layers within my creations.
In an era of fast fashion and content overload, how do you protect the silence and focus that your work demands?
Silence must be cultivated. In my atelier we create rituals of time, attention, and slowness. These are deliberate choices against the pace and pollution that often define the fashion industry. It is slow fashion; it is a form of art, in which time nourishes the depth of the work.
What are your biggest dreams or ambitions at the moment, creatively, personally, or societally?
My dreams move between the intimate and the universal: to remain faithful to my intuition as a creator, to let my work contribute to a more sustainable and meaningful future, and to continue shaping new forms of connection — between people, nature, and the invisible forces that shape us.
Sculpting the Senses will be on display at Kunsthal Rotterdam from the 27th of September 2025 until the 1st of March 2026.