Last week Iris van Herpen presented her latest work at the Fashion Week: a combination of haute couture and technology. The Dutch artist is very keen of 3D printing and laser cutting to realise extraordinarily dresses. The collection called “Shift Souls” was displayed on January the 21^st at Palais des Beaux-Arts in Paris.

Laser cut slats
The dresses are composed from dozens of laser cut slats in different forms. These are designed in superimposed layers of fabrics in degraded colours and PETG (polyethylene terephthalate glycolized) plates, a material also used in 3D printing. This structure allows the outfits to float when the models are walking on the catwalk and make them look like “mythological creatures” as Iris van Herpen says.

3D printing used for head jewellery
Several models were wearing 3D printed head jewellery, made in collaboration with the Technical University of Delft. With a 3D facial scan, the jewelleries were adapted to the shape of the faces of the models.

Iris van Herpen already collaborated with scientist from Delft in the past. For her last show, they also printed 3D slats to create a dress. “Like a concept car, these dresses are not designed for daily use or mass production, it rather represents a vision. This also allows to experiment with new possibilities, such as those provided by 3D printing” explaines Kouke Verlindinden, a scientist from Delft University.

The scientists also experimented with integrating metal wires into 3D printed parts. A process that allows to imagine clothes that conduct electricity and connected clothes.

Iris van Herpen is a member of the Atelier Néerlandais, a platform for Dutch creative and cultural sectors in Paris. Click here to see a video about the making off of her collection in 2018.

 

Source: Usine Nouvelle