Vacuum-packed models installed at Iris van
Herpen’s Paris Fashion Week show

Models were suspended in vacuums between plastic sheeting during Dutch fashion designer Iris van Herpen‘s Autumn Winter 2014 show at Paris Fashion Week.

Iris van Herpen and Belgian artist Lawrence Malstaf created the installation in which models were held in midair between sheets of plastic.

“Models float in the air, embryonic, seemingly weightless and in a meditative suspended animation,” said Van Herpen.

Tubes extracted most of the air from the sheets to suck them tightly around the models, who posed in foetal or crouched positions wearing shimmering dresses.

The plastic sheets were hung in a line along the centre of the catwalk used to present Van Herpen’s ready to wear collection, titled Biopiracy.

The collection included 3D-printed garments created in collaboration with Austrian architect Julia Koerner, who previously helped design a dress for Van Herpen’s Voltage collection presented last year.

Van Herpen also worked with Dutch shoe brand United Nude to design crescent-shaped boots that were worn with the garments. Her show took place on Tuesday as part of Paris Fashion Week.

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• Design
• Installations