Fashion has long been a cultural barometer. It’s also been disparaged as a frivolous bagatelle. Around 30 years ago, however, that dichotomy disappeared when fashion emerged as a global phenomenon, exploding beyond the pages of specialty publications and exclusive salons to reach every corner of the world, from social media to the hallowed halls of museums. It is in this environment that the Dutch designer Iris van Herpen has taken her place. With “Iris van Herpen: Sculpting the Senses,” an exhibition opening next Saturday at the Brooklyn Museum, viewers will have the chance to pore over 140 of her groundbreaking garments.
While the show is neither the first time Van Herpen’s work has been seen in New York City (a former dancer, she designed costumes for New York City Ballet in 2013 and 2025) nor her first exhibition experience (“Transforming Fashion” landed in eight international venues, beginning in 2015), “Sculpting the Senses” promises to be an immersive experience that illustrates “the intersection of fashion, art, and science.”
