Collection Online

Look 14, Ananda-Maya, gown and shoes
2022 {Meta morphism collection, autumn-winter 2022-23}

Medium
nylon (mesh, tulle), polyester film, rayon (embroidery), metal (boning, wire, fastenings)
Measurements
(a) 188.0 (centre back) 29.0 cm (waist, flat)
(b-c) 27.5 × 8.0 × 17.0 cm (each) (shoes)
Place/s of Execution
the Netherlands
Inscription
(a) label, left back waistline, woven in black on white cotton: V - / IRIS VAN HERPEN
Accession Number
2023.586.a-c
Department
International Fashion and Textiles
Credit Line
National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne
Purchased with funds donated by Krystyna Campbell-Pretty AM and Family, 2023
© Iris van Herpen
Gallery location
Not on display
About this work

Dutch fashion designer Iris van Herpen is well known internationally for her experimental and futuristic runway collections. Since 2007, she has pioneered a distinctive aesthetic that integrates traditional forms of artisanship with unconventional materials and technological innovation. For her Meta Morphism collection, van Herpen worked with tech corporation Microsoft on a hyperreal presentation combining digital avatars and augmented reality experiences alongside physical garments. Inspired by the Roman poet Ovid’s Metamorphosis and its themes of transformation, the designer posed the questions, ‘Who are we beyond our physical bodies?’ and ‘Where are we going as human beings?’.