Designer Research: Iris Van Herpen

'The water-dress symbolises for me the incomprehensible magic of the body... I often wonder if we will keep on wearing fabrics in the future, or if dressing will become something non-material, something that is visible, but not tangible or touchable'

Iris Van Herpen is a designer that I feel has always had a strong influential connection towards my work, more so now that I am beginning to research glass-work alongside my current practice brief. I feel that this collection can be used as inspiration for both the structural quality, incorporation of a shoreline form and material choices.The featured collection, entitled 'Rain', builds upon a previous concept of liquid clothing that Iris Van Herpen showed in her 'Crystallisation Collection' at London Fashion Week 2010. The aim is to create sculptural garments, based upon uncontrollable, ultimately unwearable materials, in this case, water.

Iris Van Herpen: http://www.irisvanherpen.com/

Working in the context of couture fashion, Van Herpen's brand is placed where I can see my own practice to fit into. Looking closely at this collection in particular, the limited colour appeals to myself, especially as my current practice has a transparent to white palette, relying solely on stitch and embellishment to bring interest into my samples. The attraction towards Van Herpen's pieces is the addition of embellishment through sculpture, instead of the usual of bead-work or embroidery etc. Taking these pieces into account, I feel that in my upcoming weeks in my glass workshops, I would like to learn how to create surfaces, using glass as the material, as well as using the form of the pieces for continuation of research and drawing for my own practice unit.