Iris van Herpen Brings Her Science-Driven Couture to Brooklyn
Entering Iris van Herpen: Sculpting the Senses is like stepping into a universe in motion. Gowns ripple and shimmer as if animated by invisible currents, their intricate lattices and sculptural forms evoking water, air, and the hidden architectures of nature.
Visitors in Paris described the exhibition as a “cerebral wonderland,” a space where couture, science, and art collide.
The exhibition makes its North American debut at the Brooklyn Museum on May 16, 2026, timed with the Museum’s annual Brooklyn Artists Ball, where Iris van Herpen will be honoured.
Over 140 designs, paired with contemporary artworks, scientific artefacts, and natural history specimens, will guide visitors from the microscopic to the cosmic.
Thematic zones explore water, skeletal architecture, motion, light, sound, and the interconnectedness of life—offering a rare opportunity to witness Van Herpen’s process of translating the complexity of the natural world into couture.
Born in 1984 in the Dutch riverside village of Wamel, the designer has spent her career at the intersection of art, science, and technology. From founding Maison Iris van Herpen in 2007 to pioneering 3D-printed couture in her 2010 Crystallization collection, she has continually expanded what is possible in fashion.
“I hope visitors leave with an expanded notion of what couture is, and the way it is connected with various other aspects of life—psychology, philosophy, science, society,” Van Herpen reflected during the Singapore leg of this touring exhibition.
Matthew Yokobosky, Senior Curator of Fashion and Material Culture at the Brooklyn Museum, notes “Her work transforms fashion into living art, reshaping how we experience material, movement, and the body. By merging science and technology, Van Herpen expands the narrative of fashion design through a process entirely her own.”
From Paris to Singapore, and now Brooklyn, Sculpting the Senses invites audiences into Van Herpen’s imaginative universe—where couture is a laboratory and the natural world a source of endless inspiration. It is a rare encounter with couture that doesn’t just clothe, but challenges how we perceive material, movement, and possibility. review.
Iris van Herpen: Sculpting the Senses at the Brooklyn Museum will run from May 16 to December 6, 2026.
