Syntopia
Iris van Herpen presented her latest Haute Couture collection, ‘Syntopia’, on July 2nd, 2018 at Le Trianon in Paris.
In this collection the designer explores the new worlds that arise within synthetic biology and the intertwining relationships between the organic and the inorganic. ‘Syntopia’ acknowledges the current scientific shift in which biology converges with technology and visualizes the fragility and power within.
For Syntopia, Van Herpen collaborated with the artists Lonneke Gordijn and Ralph Nauta of Studio Drift, whose biomimic designs translate natural processes by breathing life into delicate immersive sculptures through movement. For this show, Studio Drift created a spatial kinetic installation constructed of 18 delicate glass wings that represent all the different steps of flying in an abstract way. The glass bird flows in symbiosis with the models while they move over the runway.
Iris van Herpen: “As a former dancer, the transformation within movement fascinates me. For this collection I looked closely at the miniscule details of bird flight and the intricate echoing forms within avian motion. Studio Drift and the scientist Etienne Jules Marey inspired me to look more closely at the draping of a garment through chronophotography. By slowing down time to milliseconds I broke down the usual draping of a fabric and slightly shifted the milliseconds, like the layering of a bird’s feathers.”
Photos: Yannis Vlamos