Iris Van Herpen has emerged as one of the most prolific figures in fashion. The Dutch designer is best known for her masterful fusion of traditional couture with innovative technology, exploring themes from the depths of the ocean to the heights of cosmos. Even the most casual fashion fan will likely be familiar with the creations of Maison Iris Van Herpen. Founded in 2007, the design house has been behind some of fashion’s most viral moments from the fluttering butterfly gown at this year’s Met Gala to Beyonce’s most recent tour costumes.

In haute couture, Iris has become synonymous with the trailblazer title, spearheading new techniques like 3D printing, new fabrications and robotics. Despite this technological focus, Iris Van Herpen’s designs always remain tethered to nature, finding inspiration in chemistry, biology and physics. Self-described as an alchemist approach to fashion, Maison Iris van Herpen reimagines couture through the lens of natural history, architecture and science to create one-of-a-kind garments.

Iris Van Herpen: Sculpting the Senses traces the fashion house’s dynamic collection of designs through an immersive sensory experience. GOMA marks the second gallery in the world to exhibit such an extensive collection of Iris’ work, with more than 100 garments alongside a curated range of contemporary artworks, natural history and artefacts. The collection is presented across nine chapters – Water and Dreams, Sensory Sea Life, Forces Behind the Forms, Skeletal Embodiment, Growth Systems, Synaesthesia, Mythology of Fear, New Nature and Cosmic Bloom, traversing the designer’s range of themes from the sea to the sky. Iris’ intricate creations, including garments, footwear and headpieces, will be exhibited with shadow projections by Canadian media artist Philip Beesley, an explosion drawing by Chinese artist Cai Guo-Qiang, documentary footage of blooms of phytoplankton and fungal networks by Yann Arthus Bertrand and Michael Pitiot and many more unexpected additions.

In celebration of Iris van Herpen: Sculpting the Senses, GOMA is opening its doors after dark – inviting you to experience the creations of this fashion tour de force along with drinks and DJs on Friday nights. Find out more about this exhibition via the QAGOMA website.