Known for her flowing, symmetrical pieces and fearless use of technology, Dutch fashion designer Iris van Herpen has made quite an impression on the fashion world. Her new Spring 2021 collection, titled ‘Roots of Rebirth,’ was shown on January 25th for Paris Haute Couture week.

This season her inspiration for the collection was life within nature, specifically that of roots and fungi. Merlin Sheldrake’s book Entangled Life was her muse for the work, and she includes several beautiful quotes within her description of this collection. Rippled edges inspired by the look of fungi branches (mycelium) flow effortlessly off the sides of several of these dresses, and others fold into themselves to create the illusion of a mushroom itself.

 While many of van Herpen’s collections are exciting and lovely to look at, what makes this one special is its sustainable construction. In collaboration with Parley for the Oceans, she created this 21-piece collection with recycled Ocean Plastic® fabric, combined with 3D printing.

 Iris van Herpen has always been an advocate for sustainability within fashion design, and ‘Roots of Rebirth’ only further emphasizes that. She said to Vogue Runway, “We are now at a moment where the quality [between an organic silk and a recycled polyester] is completely equal…. Now it’s really a matter of decision, it’s not a matter of choosing a quality. Basically, there’s not a lot of reason not to use sustainable materials anymore, other than changing your mindset.”

–Grace Potter