Iris van Herpen: Only she could invent the world's first 'plasma' dress

In Paris, Iris van Herpen once again demonstrated that nature is an excellent starting point for fashion's most luxurious segment. She debuted 'plasma' dresses in her Sonic Starquakes collection, which is inspired by the structures of 'starquakes', or exploding supernovae.

Similar to terrestrial earthquakes, stars vibrate with waves of energy travelling through them, albeit light-years away. The beauty is a side-effect, though this is not how it appears in the collection.

Fractual universe

The 'Fractal Universe' dress, a standout piece in the line-up, evokes the stroke of midnight on New Year's Eve as much as it does a sinister apocalypse. Lifelike lightning bolts appear across the dress. To achieve this effect, Van Herpen had the design charged with electricity. It was then cryogenically preserved to retain the energy of billions of trapped electrons.

In the nights leading up to the show, the tension began to discharge autonomously, with branching flashes shooting through the three-dimensional structure. The original plan was for this to happen on the catwalk. The energy released is called plasma, the main component of stars, wind, and nebulae.

The effect was jaw-dropping in Paris. Princess Maria Chiara de Bourbon-Two Sicilies and actress Daphne Guinness, both muses and clients of the designer, were among those impressed.

Inspiration for the collection includes an experiment by Welsh researcher Margaret Watts Hughes (1842-1907), who attempted to materialise her own voice into art. She invented the eidophone, a type of megaphone with a membrane of paint powders. The vibrations from her singing caused the powders to move across the surface, creating a work of art.

Helix nebula

Alongside the lightning dress, Van Herpen also presented the Helix Nebula in Paris, named after the planetary nebula. The top consists of two sculptural, hand-blown glass moon shapes filled with plasma that react to touch. On the dimly lit catwalk, the construction glowed with a mystical, deep red light. For the bodice, Van Herpen used fine hand-blown glass – a technique she previously employed for the ‘Airo dress’, this year's centrepiece at the Met Gala. Top athlete Eileen Gu wore the design, which featured 15,000 iridescent bubbles attached to nearly invisible tulle and brought to life with UV light.

Less than a day after its debut, the collection went viral on TikTok and Instagram. The Wamel-based designer has once again succeeded in imbuing fashion with an intellectual layer. By forging connections with science and technology, she draws attention to the natural world she holds so dear.

Using a succession of natural wonders as the starting point for her fashion could lead to the misconception that Van Herpen is trying to explain the universe. This is not her intention, as she clarifies in the show notes: “Around us, and within us, vast dimensions of reality remain undiscovered. (…) I do not seek to explain these forces; instead, they heighten our awareness of the unknown, reminding us of the mysteries that lie within this multiverse.”