Iris van Herpen showcases science-inspired collections

Dutch fashion designer Iris van Herpen has unveiled her Fall/Winter 2026 haute couture collection, titled ‘Sonic Starquakes,’ at Paris Fashion Week. The collection draws inspiration from cosmic phenomena, including starquakes, supernovae, spiral galaxies, and plasma. A centerpiece of the collection is the Helix Nebula dress, created in collaboration with plasma specialist Mundy Hepburn and glass artist Marc Barreda. The garment features two hand-blown glass forms containing plasma and is adorned with 10,000 individual hand-blown glass spheres.

In a separate project, van Herpen collaborated with champagne house Maison Perrier-Jouët to translate the rhythms of nature into sculptural forms. Utilizing cymatics—a technique that makes sound vibrations visible through patterns in materials like water or sand—van Herpen recorded sounds from the vineyards in Ambonnay and Cramant. These vibrations informed the creation of a sculpture made from silk and recycled gold, as well as new designs for champagne bottles, bridging the designer’s scientific interests with the Art Nouveau heritage of the brand.