Iris van Herpen — Sonic Starquakes, Backstage

A glimpse backstage at Iris van Herpen’s Sonic Starquakes, where celestial forces become couture. Sculptural glass, translucent tulle and luminous details transform the body into a fleeting constellation—delicate, otherworldly and in constant motion.

Backstage at Iris van Herpen’s Sonic Starquakes, the universe feels unexpectedly close. Presented in Paris on July 6, 2026, the collection draws from starquakes, supernovae, galaxies and the turbulence of plasma, translating cosmic movement into fragile, almost weightless forms.

Courtesy of Iris van Herpen

Courtesy of Iris van Herpen

Up close, the spectacle becomes intimate: thousands of hand-blown glass spheres scattered across translucent tulle, sculptural fragments catching the light, surfaces appearing to vibrate against the skin. The Helix Nebula dress is particularly otherworldly, its glass forms infused with plasma so that light seems to emerge from within the garment itself. The body does not simply inhabit the dress; it becomes part of its energetic landscape. Around it, the collection moves between darkness and luminosity, density and transparency, recalling the branching aftermath of a supernova or the spiralling geometry of distant galaxies.

Courtesy of Iris van Herpen

The backstage images capture what the runway cannot: a hand adjusting a delicate structure, a face disappearing behind translucent layers, glass suspended millimetres from the body, light caught in a single sphere. There is something almost geological and celestial in these close-ups, as if we were witnessing matter before it settles into form. Van Herpen’s Sonic Starquakes does not attempt to reproduce the cosmos. It brings its sense of movement, instability and wonder into contact with the human body. For a brief moment, couture seems less like clothing than a living constellation—fragile, luminous, and quietly vibrating.

Courtesy of Iris van Herpen

Courtesy of Iris van Herpen