Paris Fall Couture -Designs for IRL, Virtual Reality + Somewhere in Between

Ronald Van Der Kemp

For me, it’s about eccentricity. If people know who they are, they become a more sustainable person, because they build a wardrobe around their personality
-Ronald van der Kemp

Dutch designer Ronald van der Kemp has always been one of our favorites because of his commitment to sustainable practice.

“Couture is about realness, it’s not about metaphors, we create our own reality,” he told WWD before the show. “We worked with everything that we had around us, not only fabrics, but the memories I have, everything sentimental for the old days, for real couture

Each look in this fall collection was constructed from deadstock fabrics and archive scraps.

This look was the trickiest to execute. The designer had unearthed a trove of 1970s silk mousselines and shredded them -using them to adorn an organza dress with a spiralling skirt.

Overall the collection was dominated by black and white with punctuations of dopamine bright designs. Sculptural shoulders and textured fabrics figured prominently. It was noted that the turquoise and peach dress (above) was upcycled from an earlier dress that had been worn by Naomi Campbell. Perhaps this one is destined for her as well!

ThreeAsFour

In sharp contrast to RVDK is threeasFour. A NYC based collaborative they showed a completely digital collection –arguably the most sustainable because it doesn’t use the same resources. Although we’re not entirely sure if that’s true when it comes to NFT production.

Nevertheless, we can’t ignore it. They realized their collection with the help of CG artist Shingo Everard and the result will be animated NFTs in collaboration with Dressx.

Like van der Kemp’s repurposing of fabric, threeasFour repurposed designs –meaning all of the digital designs are replicas of ones they’ve previously made IRL. This makes sense when you consider how futuristic their designs traditionally are and that having them originally physical guarantees that they are still wearable. Even if these versions will only be worn virtually.

Though the wear-ability is not something to ignore. “All the people that are doing graphic design on top of images…you have to think of it as a 3D object that is actually going to move” Gabi Asfour told Vogue.com. Whether more people wear their designs virtually than IRL remains to be seen but as far as we’re concerned this group of innovators is always worth watching!

Iris van Herpen

Some artists are ahead of their time. Iris van Herpen is one where time seems to be finally catching up with her. And though technically a “fashion designer”, like ThreeasFour above, we view her work as artistry.

Van Herpen has been creating work using 3D technology for over a decade now and the natural world has been a strong influence. This juxtaposition of nature and technology has consistently resulted in fantastical (and sublime) results. And proves that using technology doesn’t mean forgoing the natural.

The opening look was made of banana leaf blended with raw silk to form Grecian draping. Another piece was made from a 3D printed fiber based on the shells of cocoa beans, which was combined with upcycled organza. Now her creations can exist in a world equally hybrid –between the physical world and the digital.

I don’t believe in replacing the physical beauty that we’re creating—that’s why I want the digital looks to be an extension of the physical looks. They need the same soul, the same intricacy, the same craftsmanship.
Iris van Herpen