Spectacular algae creation Iris van Herpen at Kunsthal Rotterdam
Sept. 17, 2025
Following its launch during Iris van Herpen’s Paris haute couture runway show this summer, the fashion designer’s ‘living look’ from the Sympoiesis collection — a creation made with 125 million luminescent algae — will now be shown to the general public for the very first time. From Saturday 27 September, all visitors to the exhibition Iris van Herpen: Sculpting the Senses at Kunsthal Rotterdam will be able to admire this extraordinary work.
This summer, during the Paris Haute Couture Week 2025, Van Herpen presented a world premiere: a first-of-its-kind, completely living couture dress. For realising this creation filled with luminescent algae, Van Herpen collaborated with bio designer Christopher Bellamy, and researchers from the University of Amsterdam and the Francis Crick Institute for Biomedical Discovery. These bioluminescent organisms produce a blue glow when reacting to heat and movement, thereby literally causing the dress to come alive on the catwalk.
Circadian Rhythm
Realised using tailor-made moulds and containing a specially developed nutritional gel, the innovative design is taken care of like a living ecosystem. Naturally found in the sea and producing light as a defence mechanism, the species of algae involved is Pyrocystis lunula. In the exhibition at the Kunsthal, the biological conditions needed to sustain these organisms are mimicked: the humidity, temperature, and day and night rhythm of their surroundings are meticulously regulated to optimise their living environment.
Connectivity
Derived from Greek, the name Sympoiesis means ‘making together’, thereby emphasising the focus of this collection on collaboration, symbiosis, and connectivity. Van Herpen’s innovative approach shows how fashion can evolve out of a dialogue between humans and nature, inviting us to radically reassess our outlook on clothes and creation.
Anne Hathaway's Mother Mary dress
Another new addition to the exhibition is a dress Van Herpen designed for the film Mother Mary (directed by David Lowery, release date to be announced), in which it is worn by leading actress Anne Hathaway. The Red Mother dress is inspired by the film’s main themes: personal transformation and the ongoing quest for one’s own truth. The creation consists of pleated panels in a colour gradient ranging from crimson to deep burgundy. For this design, Van Herpen implemented traditional smocking techniques in a contemporary way, thereby forging a connection between the past and the present. The dress thus reflects the main character’s inner development.
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