Opening on May 16th, 2026, Iris van Herpen: Sculpting the Senses marks the North American debut of the celebrated designer’s most ambitious museum project to date. Presented at the Brooklyn Museum, this landmark fashion exhibition brings together more than 140 haute couture creations alongside contemporary art, design objects, and scientific artifacts, positioning fashion as a living dialogue between craft, technology, and imagination.
From the outset, the exhibition frames Iris van Herpen as a singular force at the intersection of couture and experimentation. Known for redefining the boundaries of dress, the Dutch designer transforms garments into sculptural forms that respond to movement, space, and the natural world—making this one of the most anticipated fashion events on the New York cultural calendar.
A fashion exhibition at the crossroads of art and science
Designed as an immersive experience, Iris van Herpen: Sculpting the Senses, explores how the body exists within, and is shaped by, its environment. Unfolding thematically, the exhibition moves from oceanic depths to cosmic expanses and examines water, anatomy, sound, light and motion as central motifs in Van Herpen’s work. Each section showcases her talent for translating scientific research, ranging from neuroscience to marine biology, into visionary couture.
Rather than presenting fashion as a static display, the show invites visitors to experience clothing as an evolving system. Dresses appear to ripple like liquid, hover like air, or grow organically, echoing the unseen structures of nature.
Fashion and innovation in Haute Couture
At the heart of the exhibition are fashion and innovation — principles that have defined Van Herpen’s career ever since she established her Amsterdam-based fashion house in 2007. A pioneer in the use of 3D printing, laser cutting and experimental materials, she was the first designer to showcase a 3D-printed dress on the runway in 2010. These technological breakthroughs sit alongside meticulous handcraftsmanship, highlighting her belief that innovation and tradition are not opposites, but rather collaborators.
An evocation of the designer’s atelier offers a rare glimpse into her creative process, revealing how couture techniques coexist with advanced technologies to produce garments that challenge gravity, texture, and form.
Dialogues across disciplines
More than 140 avant-garde looks are presented in conversation with works by contemporary artists and designers, including Philip Beesley, Rogan Brown, Nick Knight, Tim Walker, and Casey Curran, as well as scientific specimens such as coral, fossils, and skeletons. This interdisciplinary approach reflects the Brooklyn Museum’s historic roots as an institution bridging art and science, while situating Van Herpen within a broader lineage of cross-disciplinary creativity.
A bespoke multisensory soundscape by Dutch composer Salvador Breed further enhances the experience, transforming the exhibition into a fully embodied encounter.
A landmark moment for Iris van Herpen
Following its debut at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris in 2023 and subsequent presentations in Rotterdam, Singapore, and Brisbane, Iris van Herpen: Sculpting the Senses arrives in Brooklyn as Van Herpen’s first major New York exhibition. Timed with the Museum’s annual Brooklyn Artists Ball—where the designer will be honored—the show reinforces her status as one of the most influential voices shaping the future of fashion.
Glass organza, crepe, tulle, and Mylar. Model: CYNTHIA ARREBOLA. Photography by DAVID ỤZỌCHUKWU
Special thanks to ALMA COMMUNICATIONS
