A New Fashionista Favorite: Designer Iris van Herpen

If you haven't yet heard the name Iris van Herpen, you soon will. The Dutch fashion designer only graduated from the ARTEZ School of Arts in Arnhem in 2006, but already her unique fashions have been much written about.

Having just shown her fourth collection at Amsterdam's International Fashion Week, it's clear that she continues to push the haute couture envelope. Her previous three collections all featured elaborately constructed fashions that resemble art.



Hardly RTW ('ready to wear' for those non-fashionistas), her designs rival Viktor & Rolf's in their irreverence and craftsmanship and Giles Deacon in imagination. And yes, like all brink designers, in some cases the ensembles are just plain creepy.


above: the designer with one of her models from her fourth collection; Mummified

Her first three collections; Fragile Futurity, Chemical Crows and Refinery Smoke, which were each shown at Amsterdam's Fashion Week, have sculptural 3D elements and intricate fringe or detailing. Below are a few images from each of those collections.

Her first collection, Fragile Futurity:






Her second collection, Chemical Crows:





Her third collection, Refinery Smoke:






from Design.nl about her latest collection, Mummified:
"Egyptians considered the 'reality' that they created for their deaths as the reality, while their daily life was an illusion". Iris van Herpen

Appearing more like exquisite art masterpieces or elaborate costumes that transcend fashion the new pieces from Iris van Herpen were a stark contrast from anything seen during this year's Amsterdam International Fashion Week. This time, the young avant garde designer let herself be inspired by mummification, one of the important traditions of ancient Egypt.

"The Egyptians tried to 'create' reality by means of their art. They considered the 'reality' that they created for their deaths as the reality, while their daily life was an illusion. In other words, don't believe everything that looks obvious, but create your own reality...This intriguing way of thinking, I have included in the collection", says Van Herpen.

The elaborateness of the creations more than compensated for the size of the collection which numbered 10 hand-made pieces in total. Mummified silhouettes are juxtaposed with unexpected materials reminiscent of industry (or bondage): eyelets, ball chains, buckles, engine chains, metal wire mesh, studs combined with delicate touches like lace or gold foil. Leather, particularly as straps, features heavily throughout. The macabre nature of the theme was balanced by the eccentric detailing finished with utmost craftsmanship while the dark palette was lifted with bronze, cream and dusty pink.

And now, her latest collection for Fall/Winter 2009; Mummified:


















Runway photos by Peter Stigter and Michael Zoeter

Photos from irisvanherpen.com credits:
Photography// Michel Zoeter Production// Roos van Der Hulst @ B creatives Hair// Jennifer Mackintosh @ View Agency Make-up//Maaike Beijer @ Angelique Hoorn Agency Models// Wilma Wakker Mgnt, SPS Mgnt, Elite Mgnt


Above: iris in her atelier


Van Herpen worked as an intern with Alexander McQueen and Claudy Jongstra before striking out on her own.



GENERAL INFO and internships//
E: info@irisvanherpen.com
T: +31 (0) 6 43586806
address for correspondence: Karel van Gelderstraat 2a, 6828HN

Belvedere Vodka Goes "Street" With The Launch of IX

Belvedere Vodka is hipping up their image with their new release of Belvedere IX (pronounced "One-X"). They hired bad boy Paris artist Andre to promote the liquor and tag the bottle. And, of course, he's the star of the launch parties (the one in Los Angeles just took place on Feb. 5th ) and the New York launch took place last night at The Bowery Hotel.

Who is Andre?

Andre Saraiva (aka Andre or Mr. A) was born in Sweden and raised in Paris. At 36 years old, has his hand in several ventures; nightclub impresario, co-owner of the hip NY hotspot, the Beatrice Inn and a fashion designer who has his own boutique in Paris, the Black Block.


above: some of Andre's fashions for Black Block

Above: I love his umbrella available at his store, Black Block.

examples of Andre's work (courtesy of askart.com):


In keeping with the hip vibe, the photos of Andre for the campaign were shot by Terry Richardson:

above: French artist Andre Saraiva (aka Andre or Mr. A)

above: Andre tagging a model.


above: Andre at the Hollywood launch, tagging the wall.

More about the Vodka:





Belvedere IX micro site
The main Belvedere site.
Special thanks to Clashbabi.blogspot.com

If Vodka is your drink, you should check out:


Beautifully Designed Premium Vodka Bottles



10 Green Eco-friendly Vodkas


Dan Aykroyd's Crystal Head Vodka

GREED: All About The Faux Fragrance Bottle, Posters, & Video

GREED

Francesco Vezzoli's project 'Greed' is a faux ad campaign for an imagined perfume. The entire project consists of a video trailer, a video (faux commercial), the bottle design and print campaign. The video was directed by the notoriously-exiled director Roman Polanski and features Natalie Portman and Michelle Williams embroiled in a fierce battle over the fanciful scent. The spurious campaign attempts to isolate and imitate the hype created by the promotion of a new luxury product in the mass market.

THE BOTTLE DESIGN

Just as Marcel Duchamp created Belle Haleine: Eau de Voilette in 1921 using a Rigaud perfume bottle with an altered label Francesco Vezzoli has created a signature perfume for the contemporary moment. Greed’s label features Vezzoli in drag, photographed by Francesco Scavullo, where Duchamp appeared on his perfume bottle as Rrose Sélavy, photographed by Man Ray.

Duchamps' Faux perfume bottle and label:



Francesco Vezzoli's Greed:

above: artist Francesco Vezzoli's Greed, The Perfume That Doesn't Exist, 2009
Crystal, paper and ribbon, 15 11/16 x 10 5/8 x 5 1/8 inches (40 x 27 x 13 cm)

THE INSTALLATION:

The installation at the Gagosian Gallery in Rome features the perfume in the center of the room flanked by the 'faux movie posters' (more on those below) and the faux commercial ran on a monitor:






THE GALLERY SHOW INVITE:


THE POSTERS

The series of needlework portraits of leading female figures in art history –including Tamara de Lempicka, Eva Hesse, Leonor Fini – serve as immortalized endorsements of Vezzoli’s fragrance.

The posters for the product by Francesco Vezzoli are made of inkjet, wool, cotton, metallic embroidery and custom jewelry on brocade. Each features a different famous female and measures 70 7/8 x 51 3/16 inches (180 x 130 cm):







above bottle, posters and installation photos courtesy of Gagosian Gallery

THE VIDEO / FAUX COMMERCIAL:

stills:




still photos courtesy of Francesco Vezzoli Studio

The trailer for the video:


See the complete video here.



GREED is just the latest castle in what the Gagosian Gallery coins Vezzoli's "ongoing preoccupation with the fundamental ambiguity of truth, the seductive powers of language, and the instability of the human persona in a series of works that explore the undisputed power of contemporary media culture."

According to Vezzoli, his art is designed to hold a mirror to society which idolizes the concept of celebrity. At the same time, Vezzoli's racy art plumbs the depths of celebrity culture itself and seemingly revels in it, with devastatingly funny results. "It's all part of this kind of style of promotional deconstruction that I've been researching for a long time. I'm not so much of a moralist trying to make a statement," he said. "I'm fascinated by celebrity. It's a phenomenon, and I don't think the whole celebrity culture is silly. It invades everything: fashion, cinema. Without stars, no event is deemed worthy of the media to cover - you need that red carpet. My work is the study of media."

About the artist:

Francesco Vezzoli was born in 1971, in Brescia, Italy. He studied at the Central St. Martin’s School of Art in London from 1992 to 1995. His work has been exhibited at many institutions including: Castello di Rivoli Museo d’Arte Contemporanea, Turin (2002); Fondazione Prada, Milan (2004 and 2005); Museu Serralves, Porto (2005); Le Consortium, Dijon (2006); and the Power Plant, Toronto (2007). Vezzoli’s work has also been featured in the 26th São Paulo Biennial (2004); the 51st Venice Biennale (2005); the Whitney Biennial (2006); and the 52nd Venice Biennale (2007). He currently lives and works in Milan.

Gagosian Gallery, Via Francesco Crispi 16, Rome.

Baccarat & Jean Paul Gaultier's 5 Haute Couture Evian Bottles

Hermes Creative Director and fashion forward designer, Jean-Paul Gaultier has created both a limited edition ‘Prêt-à-porter’ bottle for Evian water and ‘Haute Couture’ versions (a collaboration with french crystal Baccarat) that yielded 5 exclusive bottles, each named after a major city.

The Evian Pret-a-Porter, or ready-to-wear, Bottle by Jean Paul Gaultier possesses a style that is: “classic, yet modern all at once”. Adorned with a pattern of interlocking snowflakes, the bottle recalls the crisp, icy mountain tops of the French Alps from which Evian Natural Spring Water is derived. Magnified by a unique colour so much known to Gaultier, the majestic blue of the oversized logo and the understated print of the designer's name offers a subtle reminder of a stylish mariner, a mariner that could so easily be found on the shores of Lake Geneva, which the town of Evian borders.


above: the pret-a-porter bottles by Jean Gaultier are available through the shop evian site or at a number of retailers.

After the pure lines of the 'Prêt-a-Porter' 2009 limited edition bottle designed by Jean Paul Gaultier, Evian invites you to discover the Haute Couture collection that the fashion designer has created exclusively for them.

Below are the five stunning bottles.

The London Bottle comes complete with crystal tray and goblets:


The magic of crystal comes into its own with each new creation. This exquisite element seems to transform beneath our very eyes: delicate sparkling droplets, a precious undulating pool, light airy bubbles …. Each offers its own subtle and joyful tribute to the purity and exquisiteness of Evian natural spring water.

The Moscow Bottle has crystal 'drops' cascading down the side creating a crystal puddle:


These 5 unique works of art designed by Jean Paul Gaultier have been crafted at the prestigious House of Baccarat, where the know-how perfected over three centuries of craftsmanship experience has been devoted to these exceptional pieces.

The New York Bottle has crystal bubbles gathering at the top and base:


The Melbourne bottle has drips gathering at the top, cascading down the sides and clustered at the base:


The Tokyo Bottle (note the mirrored reflection of the logo in the crystal puddle):


All 5 bottles haute collection bottles will tour the world making appearances at high end stores and then will be auctioned off.

They will return home to France in March to be sold during a special charity auction to raise money for the RAMSAR convention whose work to preserve wetlands around the world has been supported by Evian for the past 10 years.



This is not the first time that special limited edition bottles have been created by designers for Evian. In 2008, Christian Lacroix's bottles for Evian last year also consisted of a pret-a-porter version:


... and a haute couture version (below), that when auctioned off, remains the priciest bottle of water ever sold, $23,000.00 USD.




 Press Release: Evian Unveils Haute Couture Collection by Jean Paul Gaultier

Friday, 06 February 2009 Atlanta -- Fashion designers know that the key to a good collection combines the reinvention of ideas with underlying signature qualities, and Evian Natural Spring Water is keeping to these same ideals with the release of the newest addition to its designer collection. Remaining true to tradition, Evian has partnered with internationally acclaimed French designer Jean Paul Gaultier to produce five unique and exclusive creations for 2009, the Evian Haute Couture Bottles by Jean Paul Gaultier. Following the pure yet bold design of the Evian Pret-a-Porter, or ready-to-wear, Bottle by Jean Paul Gaultier, the Haute Couture Bottles celebrate the essential through an astonishing and sublime collection by the famous French designer. Expertly crafted at the prestigious House of Baccarat, only five of the Haute Couture Bottles will be released worldwide, with these few exclusive carafes travelling to capital cities around the globe to be exhibited at select locations. To this end, the collection of cylindrical masterpieces will be returned to France in March, where they will be auctioned off to raise money for the RAMSAR convention, whose work to preserve wetlands around the world has been supported by Evian for the past 10 years. "Jean Paul Gaultier has consistently pushed the boundaries of fashion. He is revolutionary in his craft, yet always maintains an air of elegance and class in his designs," said Lauren Kinelski, Public Relations Manager for Evian North America. "In this regard, Gaultier was the perfect fit for Evian. Gaultier has transcended the runways of France to become a household name worldwide, much in the same way that Evian has expanded its presence throughout the globe, ascending from a natural spring water in the French Alps enjoyed by the locals to being one of most favored drinking waters on earth." Both the Evian Pret-a-Porter Bottle and the Evian Haute Couture Bottle by Jean Paul Gaultier made their global debut to the world in Paris, France during one of the world's most glamorous events, Paris Fashion Week. Expertly crafted at the esteemed House of Baccarat, only five of the Haute Couture Bottles will be released worldwide. Just in time for New York's Fashion Week this February, the Haute Couture "Bubble" Bottle will begin its tour through the most elite of Manhattan's restaurants, hotels, and retailers. The luxury retailer Bergdorf Goodman will be the first U.S. location to showcase one of these objet d'art for public viewing. Following the debut at Bergdorf Goodman, the bottle will travel to selected upscale hotels and restaurants in Manhattan throughout the month of February, including the Soho Grand Hotel, Buddha Bar and Bagatelle Restaurants. The Gaultier-designed bottles mark the second annual release of high-fashion creations from Evian. In late 2007, the world's most luxurious natural spring water similarly launched the Limited Edition Evian Bottle by Christian Lacroix, which quickly became a favored item with the trendsetting crowd. Christian Lacroix also created a series of Haute Couture Bottles to auction off for charity, with the highest bidder going down in the Guinness Books for the most expensive bottle of water ever sold. Copyright (C) 2009 PR Newswire. All Rights Reserved

Evian.com shop evian