The current moment is one ridden with dissonance, to which the fashion industry is not immune. Amidst a pandemic, haute couture has become seemingly obsolete, perceived as an ode to extravagance in an era of austerity. For lack of better words, the industry could ‘read the room’. 

Yet, certain designers have grappled with the dissonance, and created work steeped in the nuance of a new abnormal. Iris van Herpen is known for doing so: her designs are made with innovative technological processes, conscious of the space and context they’re made in. In this particular period, one van Herpen attests is full of “growth and change”, she’s created the short Transmotion. 

The featured piece is a manifestation of ‘change’ and its metonymies: van Herpen continuously refuses to abide by normative structures and rigid forms, creating a dress to aid in “transition to new realms” (as she told Vogue). Transitions, and movement in a broader sense, are the focal point of most of van Herpen’s work, emphasizing idiosyncrasy. Certainly, for designers navigating the digital sphere, idiosyncrasy has become a norm in itself. 

Thus, ‘grounding’ becomes ever more important. Transmotion is a “subconscious homage to her roots”, even featuring the Dutch actress Carice van Houten. Together, with the direction of Ryan McDaniels, the two produce a piece of feminine artistry rooted in a natural anatomy, and a “very free interpretation of the word dress” (as van Herpen told the New York Times). 

She goes on to affirm, “I wanted to express the experience of these last months without being literal, and symbolize the new beginning of things.” Watch Transmotion below: