Iris Van Herpen is necessary for haute couture. Beyond her bio-conscious engineering and her gravity-defying silhouettes, she is essential for the simple fact of creating moments that can never be seen the same way twice. Under the title “Sonic Earthquakes,” her Autumn/Winter 2026 Haute Couture collection demonstrates once again the designer's power within the current fashion landscape.

What constitutes the world? A substance so imperceptible and, at the same time, so elemental and unpredictable: plasma. For this presentation, materials were cryogenized alongside particle accelerators to create a sort of “walking battery”—a reservoir of energy containing the power of the universe, shining just as outer space does.

Iris Van Herpen makes the invisible visible and proves that strength lies in unity when you know how to preserve it (and yes, that includes more than 30,000 containment tubes on a mini-dress). The designer’s observations of our surroundings expand our minds, creating dressing patterns where we previously only saw halos and lightning bolts, as if witnessing a walking electrical storm.

There were also signature pieces featuring 3D prints and organzas, including a stellar finale in shades of red to strike a balance between what can be admired and what can be acquired. Of course, these technologies cannot be preserved in a home; yet, innovating with materials that support natural resource awareness and delivering one-of-a-kind experiences are exactly what haute couture represents in the eyes of Van Herpen.

The juxtaposition between floating fabrics and their inclusion in the final piece through embossing and decorations showcases the complex and organic way the forces of nature coexist. This is fashion with a conscience, and nobody does it quite like her.