Iris van Herpen: When 3D Printing

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Iris van Herpen: When 3D Printing "Sculpts" the Future of Fashion

February 28, 2026 Applications 9951

This is more than just a fashion exhibition; it is an immersive experience about the body, perception, and future possibilities.

Beginning May 16, 2026, the Brooklyn Museum will host the major North American debut exhibition Sculpting the Senses by fashion designer Iris van Herpen. The exhibition will showcase over 140 of her iconic haute couture pieces, highlighting the fusion of natural inspiration and cutting-edge technology.

Van Herpen is renowned for subverting traditional fashion. She deeply integrates handcrafted haute couture techniques with digital fabrication technologies like 3D printing and laser cutting, drawing inspiration from biology and physics to create dynamic garments that seem to possess a life of their own. The exhibition will guide visitors thematically "from the deep sea to the cosmos." Unusually, it will display fashion alongside contemporary artworks, coral fossils, and other scientific specimens, visually revealing the natural structures and scientific logic behind her creations.

She is one of the earliest designers in the fashion world to explore 3D printing—having sent a 3D-printed gown down the runway as early as 2010. For her, technology is not a gimmick but the key to achieving forms unattainable by hand alone: such as delicate bone-like lattices and organic structures that fluidly envelop the body. She often combines printed components with traditional fabrics like silk, allowing technology and craftsmanship to complement each other.

The exhibition also recreates her studio environment, presenting the creative process. Van Herpen's works have been worn by superstars like Beyoncé and Lady Gaga. This exhibition is not only a dialogue between technology and art but also continues the museum's tradition of honoring pioneering female creatives.

This is more than just a fashion exhibition; it is an immersive experience about the body, perception, and future possibilities.