"Couture is actually a really strong platform for developing new techniques" says Iris van Herpen

Fashion designer Iris van Herpen explains how experimentation in haute couture can drive innovation in the fashion industry in this exclusive video interview filmed by Dezeen.

The Dutch fashion designer told Dezeen that haute couture can be a good platform to develop new materials and techniques for the ready-to-wear industry, in an interview filmed at Van Herpen's atelier in Amsterdam.

"Couture is actually a really strong platform for developing new techniques and materials that can be translated into the larger industries," stated Van Herpen.

Iris van Herpen is a Dutch fashion designer based in Amsterdam

Haute couture refers to a particular branch of the fashion industry that only produces custom-made pieces on request from private clients.

Van Herpen describes haute couture as "the art of fashion", as its garments often have a grander appearance than their ready-to-wear counterparts.

"Haute couture has a really beautiful tradition of centuries of craftsmanship," she said. "I think the focus on innovation has been less apparent for the last few decades, maybe because the industry was just small but it's actually growing again."

Van Herpen is known for her experimental approach to haute couture

Van Herpen is known for her experimental approach to haute couture, creating delicate and sculptural garments using unusual materials such as silicone, metal lace, liquid fabrics, glass and mirrors, and applying techniques such as laser cutting, digital printing and 3D printing.

She uses materials not commonly found in a haute couturier's atelier in order to break away from traditional rules of garment making.

"By really creating the materials, you change the way the rules apply to making the garment," she said. "It's really a balance between having the right technique and the right material together and when you find that perfect combination, it becomes freedom."

Van Herpen creates sculptural garments using unusual materials such as silicone, metal lace and glass

For her Fall 2013 Wilderness Embodied collection Van Herpen collaborated with Dutch designer Jólan van der Wiel on a series of magnetic dresses made from resin mixed with iron fillings.

"We literally held the magnets by hand and you can shape the texture as you go, so it's almost like dancing with a fabric," Van Herpen explained.

Her creative process is primarily based in developing a material that will define the form a collection will take.

The form of van Herpen's designs is often defined by the properties of a material developed especially for a collection

"For a very long time in the collection process, we have no view on the final result yet, which I really like," said Van Herpen.

Material development is often in collaboration with other disciplines such as architecture, art, music and dance. She has cultivated long-standing collaborations with creatives such as architect Philip Beesley, design duo Studio Drift, artist Anthony Howe, designer Neri Oxman, musician Björk and choreographer Sasha Waltz.

"There is so much within fashion that is unexplored and there is so much strength in collaboration."

With a background in classical ballet, Van Herpen's collections has a particular focus on the bodies movement in relation to a garment.

"We focus on the body but also try to get away from it and try to explore the space around the body," she said.

Van Herpen draws upon her background in ballet when designing her movement-focussed pieces

Her garments often use visual trickery to create the effect of an optical illusion, as in the case of her Spring 2017 collection where Van Herpen presented gowns made from Mylar fabric cut so finely it created rippling patterns that expand and contract with the body's movement.

Influenced by nature, her collections are biomimetic in approach, such as her Fall 2018 collection where she collaborated with Studio Drift to emulate the motion of a birds wing in movement, 0r her most recent Spring 2020 collection which drew upon the central nervous systems of deep sea organisms.

"Nature is really a big part of my work. I like creating my own versions of it to try to translate the logic behind a system that works so perfectly," she explained.

"Nature is really a big part of my work" says van Herpen

This is the first in a series of video interviews Dezeen conducted with Van Herpen.

She recently applied her signature style to a large scale architecture project, where she wrapped the Naturalis Biodiversity Center by Neutelings Riedijk Architects in delicate concrete tiles.

Her previous collections have explored human-animal hybrids, explored the contrasts between water and air, and used a robot to print and weave a dress over a model during her runway show.

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Competition: win a Tolomeo desk lamp by Artemide

In our latest competition, Dezeen has partnered with David Village Lighting to give away an Artemide Tolomeo Micro Bicolor desk lamp in one of four colours options.

David Village Lighting is a furniture and lighting dealer that is an authorised stockists of over 70 designer brands including Milan's Artemide.

This includes the Tolomeo Micro Bicolour, a limited-edition version of the Italian company's Tolomeo Micro desk lamp, which was first designed in 1986 by Michele De Lucchi and Giancarlo Fassina.

The name bicolor was chosen because of the product's black body and base, which is contrasted by a lamp head available in four colours: yellow, blue, white and coral.

One reader based in Europe will receive one lamp in the colour of their choice.

"Designed for Artemide, the Tolomeo's design reflects their philosophy of 'the human light' – which refers to their objective to redesign lighting to improve quality of life by illuminating spaces to the requirement of the people," said David Village Lighting.

Tolomeo Micro Bicolour has an articulated arm that allows the user to adjust the lamp to a desirable angle. The lamp head is also connected with joints so that light can be directed in any direction.

There is a small opening at the top of the lampshade that diffuses light upwards. Other details of the design include strings that extend over the arm joints and cylindrical silver pulls that can be used to adjust the position.

As part of Artemide's #GreenActionArtemide campaign – the brand's endeavour to be more environmentally conscious – 99 per cent of the paint residue used on the lamp is recovered minimising the release of chemicals into the environment.

Additionally, each fixture is equipped with a low-energy LED light bulb.

Artemide was founded in 1960 by Ernesto Gismondi. It has 55 showrooms around the world and distributes its products in 98 countries.

Following the success of the original Tolomeo lamp design, Artemide expanded the collection of fixtures to comprise floor lamps, wall lights, table lamps and outdoor lights in a number of finishes.

The Tolomeo lamp is part of the permanent museum collections at The Metropolitan Museum of Art and The Museum of Modern Art.

Competition closes 30 March 2020. One winner will be selected at random and notified by email. The competition is only open to readers in Europe due to the compatibility with the lamp.

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Kenoteq launches brick made almost entirely of construction waste

Scottish startup Kenoteq has launched the K-Briq – a more sustainable building brick that is unfired and made of 90 per cent construction waste.

Invented by engineering professor Gabriela Medero at Edinburgh's Heriot-Watt University, the K-Briq generates less than a tenth of the carbon emissions in its manufacture than a regular brick.

Medero spent over 10 years developing the product at the Scottish university, driven by the desire to reduce the environmental impact of the construction industry.

"I have spent many years researching building materials and have been concerned that modern construction techniques exploit raw materials without considering that they are amongst the largest contributors to carbon emissions," she said. "The amount of waste they produce is not sustainable long-term."

Medero co-founded Kenoteq to put the bricks into commercial production, which is now underway.

According to Medero, the K-Briq looks like a normal brick, weighs the same and behaves like a clay brick, but offers better insulation properties. Kenoteq can produce it in any colour.

As well as saving energy in the manufacturing process, Kenoteq cuts emissions by producing the bricks locally. It points out that currently up to 85 per cent of bricks used in Scotland are imported from England or Europe, which is not sustainable in the long-term.

Kenoteq is producing its bricks on-site at Hamilton's Waste and Recycling in Edinburgh, minimising the amount of transport required in the process.

"We are proud to be scaling it up to meet both the needs of the construction industry and to support the sustainability targets of both the Scottish and UK governments," said Medero.

Several materials researchers have come up with ways to improve the brick in recent years to make it more environmentally friendly, although the results have rarely made it into mass production.

One of the most interesting examples is from Suzanne Lambert at the University of Cape Town, who created a zero-waste brick that hardens at room temperature, thanks to human urine.

Another is from the Indian School of Design and Innovation's Shreyas More and Meenal Sutaria, who used loofah to make a brick that encourages plant and insect life to live on its surface.

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Five exciting architecture and design roles available on Dezeen Jobs this week

Dezeen Jobs has a number of exciting architecture and design opportunities right now, including positions at ACME and Formwerkz Architects.

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Senior interior designer at ACME

ACME has an opening for a senior interior designer to join its office in London. The studio converted a former oast house into a modern family home in Kent, which comprises five conical towers clad in terracotta and grey tiles.

Browse all interior design roles ›

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Architects at Formwerkz Architects

Formwerkz Architects took cues from traditional Islamic patterns to design the Al-Islah mosque in Singapore, which features intricate latticework to enhance natural lighting and the feeling of openness within the space. The studio is recruiting architects of all levels to join its team.

Browse all roles for architects ›

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Product development specialist at Stellar Works

Stellar Works is hiring a product development specialist to join its studio in Shanghai. The brand launched a furniture collection of sofas, tables and cabinets, which included the reissued mid-century U430 armchair by Danish-American furniture designer Jen Risom.

Browse all jobs for product designers ›

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Architect or senior project manager at Studio Fuksas

Studio Fuksas designed a cultural complex for Rhike Park in Tbilisi, which is comprised of conjoined glass and steel tubular volumes. The practice is looking for an architect or senior project manager to join its firm in Rome, Italy.

Browse more roles in Italy ›

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Part 3 architect at Red Deer

Red Deer is seeking a Part 3 architect to join its practice in London. The studio designed a virtual reality arcade in an east London railway arch, which features custom-built cylindrical pods that integrate extra-sensory effects into the VR experience.

Browse all roles in London ›

See all the latest architecture and design roles on Dezeen Jobs ›

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Arches puncture floors and walls of Glebe House by Chenchow Little Architects

Chenchow Little Architects has completed a house in the Glebe suburb of Sydney featuring upside-down arches in the walls and curved openings in the floors.

Glebe House is designed to playfully reference its neighbour – a Victorian terrace with decorative arched windows.

Instead of matching these arches, Chenchow Little Architects chose to use them in various other ways.

On the facades, the shapes are turned upside-down to create large, high-level windows with views of the Sydney skyline.

Arched openings also create voids between the house's two floor levels, emphasised by an accompanying spiral staircase.

"Unlike traditional Victorian houses, the arched openings in the Glebe House occur in both elevation and on plan," explained the studio, which is led by architects Tony Chenchow and Stephanie Little.

"The arched windows on the elevation align with arched cutouts in the floor-plate to create three-dimensional internal voids within the space."

Glebe House is the residence of a family of five. Previously, the site was home to an old cottage, but this was demolished to make room.

The shape of the house was dictated by surrounding buildings, which also include a 1980s housing block.

To respect setbacks from these existing properties, as well as the sight lines from their windows, only one volume was possible on the site.

This shape is roughly four-sided in plan, but the northeast end is significantly wider than the southwest end, and there are some angular setbacks at the building's corners.

Inside the building the layout is kept fairly simple, to allow the geometry of the arches to be fully expressed.

The ground floor is largely open-plan, containing a kitchen, dining area and living space, and a connecting sheltered terrace. This terrace is fronted by the only arched window with a traditional orientation.

Upstairs, rooms are organised either side of a central corridor, which is punctured by curved openings in three places. There are four bedrooms on this floor, including a master suite with an additional two floor openings.

"The double-height voids maximise light penetration into the centre of the dwelling and add to the sense of space," added the studio.

Textural material finishes were chosen both inside and out. White-painted timber boards are arranged vertically across the facade, as well as in the living space and bedrooms, while the bathrooms feature hexagonal mosaic tiles.

Timber also features often, on flooring, partition walls and kitchen cabinets. Vertical timber mullions also provide the necessary support to the upside-down arched windows.

"The vertical mullions of the windows reinforce the verticality and rhythm of the cladding and help to abstract the facades of the dwelling," said the architects.

Chenchow Little Architects often works on quirky residential projects. The studio was longlisted for a Dezeen Award in 2018 for its Darling Point Apartment.

Photography is by Peter Bennetts.

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