Iris Van Herpen and the Founders of DressX on Fashion's New Digital Landscape
Renowned designer Iris van Herpen and DressX founders Daria Shapovalova and Natalia Modenova, in conversation about the boundless creative possibilities within the virtual space.
This year’s Met Gala was the perfect place to take in the unique aesthetic of Iris van Herpen’s work. Seen on a red carpet next to traditionally designed frocks, the otherworldly nature of Van Herpen’s vision is crystal clear. One reason for this is the technology she uses to make her clothes. Fifteen years after founding her business, the Dutch designer is considered a veteran in digital fashion. Focusing solely on haute couture, she and her team pioneered the use of 3-D printing in fashion, making ethereal, futuristic, and magical creations that cemented her reputation as a designer melding fashion and tech. The house has paved a way for others to design garments using these advancements, yet the pieces are still very much physical and IRL.
Virtually opposite to that is DressX, the digital wardrobe for the closet you never knew you needed. Founders Daria Shapovalova and Natalia Modenova are Ukrainian entrepreneurs with backgrounds in fashion sales, marketing, and journalism. The duo put Ukraine on the international fashion map by founding Mercedes-Benz Kiev Fashion Days and More Dash, a commercial sales showroom, and Shapovalova established the Kiev Fashion Institute where Modenova curated the fashion business course. Together, they also established the Fashion Tech Summit.
Since its 2020 launch, DressX has made them ones to watch in the cohort of entrepreneurs blending fashion and tech. The platform took Shapovalova and Modenova to the next frontier, the Metaverse. They recently hosted a fashion show, exhibition, and pop-up with Metaverse Travel Agency during the first Metaverse Fashion Week. The duo also recently nabbed a nomination for the 2022 LVMH Innovation Award.
L’OFFICIEL joined Van Herpen, Shapovalova, and Modenova via Zoom. The DressX partners sported digital earrings, designed in chandelier style in the colors of the Ukraine flag, which were a fundraising item the duo launched on DressX as Ukraine was invaded earlier this year. It’s times like this, when on their numerous Zoom calls, that they get asked if what they are wearing is “real.” Their answer? Yes. “It’s digital, but it draws real feelings and emotions,” says Modenova. On DressX they see consumers drawn to the new augmented reality.
Van Herpen and Shapolova crossed paths briefly through the fashion-show circuit, and both were eager to ask each other questions about the other’s world, ranging from the best place to wear digital fashion to the kinds of software each use. The couturier is definitely “digitally-curious” but expressed concerns about the loss of exclusivity for her one-of-a-kind creations. DressX has just opened a pop-up in Paris at Printemps, delving into a digital product existing in a physical environment.
Both agreed that, ready or not, digital personas are on the way, even forming already in the age of Zoom. Digital clothing will help shape our Metaverse selves and is one path to sustainability. Modenova issued advice to creatives: “It’s better to get on board when the conversation starts rather than enter when finished,” she says. Here is a great place to start.
L’OFFICIEL: Do you have questions about the other’s work that you are curious to ask?
IRIS VAN HERPEN: Shall I start? I understand the garment-making process well because most of what I make begins digitally. But I am curious whether you focus on custom-made items for clients, or are the looks created in bigger volumes?
DARIA SHAPOVALOVA: Digital fashion is an opportunity to do mass market without being mass market. As soon as the file is created digitally, you can dress many people in the same outfit, but it can be as intricate as any couture item.
NATALIA MODENOVA: Some items take significant effort and creativity by several technicians, plus high amounts of computing power and energy. The adoption of the blockchain offers the opportunity to make it exclusive.
DS: It breaks the understanding of what fashion can be. The goal is to democratize fashion in the digital space without harming creativity, because anything is possible without real-life limitations. The notion of exclusivity or scarcity is evident with NFTs 20 people might wear. It’s different from my earrings, for instance, which can be worn by 100 million people at the same time.
L’O: They aren’t all NFTs; some are digital files? Do you make single NFTs?
DS: Sometimes we do, such as in an auction and with partners. DressX sells both NFTs—supported by blockchain—and digital files. We promote digital fashion as a language and tool. My question for Iris: In the past five to seven years, fashion has become more technology-prone, with designers taking inspiration from it. Did you feel that shift? What has been the most significant change?
IVH: When I started 3-D printing about 11 years ago, technology was already a big part of the process. We don’t distinguish among the computer files, 3-D files, and the handwork in the atelier. It’s all so interconnected. We go back and forth between physical and digital in one look. It was hard to explain this to journalists years ago. They understood couture, but didn’t understand the integration of tech and couture. I felt like an alien trying to explain what we did. Generally, fashion is embracing tech more, so it’s becoming easier now, not only for marketing but also for understanding tech in the creative process. I’m excited about the mixed reality. It expands the emotional journey we built into the world of fantasy where the laws of physics do not limit the physical reality, thus progressing the possibilities of storytelling. This mixed reality is also possible in shows and exhibitions, like the story behind a digital or physical look. There is a beautiful dialogue there.
L’O: You can use tech to show it coming to life then?
IVH: Exactly.
L’O: Art is key to your work. What are the ways you are looking for art and tech to collide next?
IVH: There are so many ways for art and tech to collide. We are working on the digital extension for runway and exhibitions, but I can’t go into detail. One question I haven’t answered pertains to digital files of particular physical looks we have that haven’t been shown digitally. As a couture house, we are built on exclusivity, and everything we do is owned as a one-off by a client or a museum. Do we want to democratize it by offering it digitally to more clients online?
"Digital fashion is an opportunity to do mass market without being mass market."
Daria Shapovalova
L’O: Like at DressX?
IVH: Exactly. It’s a fascinating question I haven’t answered myself, examining what value is or will be in the future and what the exclusivity of couture means when extended into the digital space. I’d love to hear what you think.
NM: It’s inevitable for art and technology to intersect; it’s the same for fashion and other industries, with technology seeping into everything. The field of creative technologists is composed of a new era of artists finding ways to apply art and fashion to tech.
In terms of exclusivity in digital, physical couture is still more exclusive than its digital presence. Same for your physical presence. But there is room for another dimension of fashion, art, and creativity to exist. Digital couture exists; it’s not just mass market. Interestingly, there is no playbook for the space yet.
L’O: Interesting example of the blockchain’s role. Next question: technology has allowed both of you to take fashion to another level. How far can it go?
IVH: My love of fashion is primarily the concept, inspiration, and storytelling behind the creation. It gives identity beyond just being a product. I’m excited about unlimited expansion in the digital realm, which I’m already working on. In the future, I’d love to create the whole environment around the look, completely immersing people in a kinetic architecture based on the garment. The sky is the limit.
This storytelling is beautiful because haute couture, in the beginning, was about storytelling, but in the last 50 years, it’s been about industrialization and upscaling. The digital fashion revolution disrupts this.
L’O: Do you play any video games, Iris?
IVH: I play the newest Horizon game. I am exploring the digital world, but I am not in a hurry. I’ll do it when it adds value. I don’t want to lose the love for physical entertainment. Can you wear your DressX wardrobe in the Horizon game?
DS: For this game, no. It was a one-off collaboration. Currently, you can’t just press a button, and the outfit is on every platform. One day, though, every gamer will be able to wear them in any game.
IVH: Like music; I can listen to it on any platform. It’s similar, right?
DS: Future technologies will allow for a digital wardrobe in various games. It’s something we see as being possible.
IVH: We can’t speak about the fashion industry entirely, but I know a lot of musicians who have a hard time with the digitization of music. It’s not because they don’t live online, but because big companies like Spotify take all the money. It’s been a downgrade for artists. I hope fashion doesn’t make the same mistake. I am completely for digital fashion, but creative content should be profitable in order for artists to earn a living.
NM: Now that the digital economy is forming, designers and creatives must participate in setting up these new rules so the interests of everyone involved are acknowledged. For instance, even if you know how to put outfits on, you can’t use them in all games because they have a gatekeeper; a game developer owns the audience they built and deserves compensation. Creatives from fashion and tech must participate in forming this new market. Why wait until the rules of this new space are already set?
L’O: The music industry, ironically, now must tour non-stop in the physical world to earn money. How has tech most affected your consumers?
NM: From the consumer standpoint, I see interest, excitement, and a range of emotions and reactions the first time they wear digital fashion. It surprises them and draws real feelings.
DS: We felt consumers’ need to embrace fashion in a new dimension beyond physical clothes. We are not yet there, but digital fashion will become as widespread in the digital world as it is in the physical because, as humans, we need and desire clothing.
L’O: How does digital fashion affect sustainability?
IVH: I’m excited to see how digital fashion affects sustainability. Fashion has so much to tackle in the coming years; it’s almost unimaginable. One issue is overproduction. Digitizing fashion could mean producing a digital collection first, getting feedback from buyers, and then producing what they order. This is how couture works. It’s logical, yet we strayed from this simple system. Digital fashion would fill the gap between consumers and the brand.
NM: We looked into this approach with our partnership with Farfetch, featuring Balenciaga, Dolce & Gabbana, Off-White, and more. Instead of producing in advance, they preordered and only made the order.
Fashion storytelling for marketing and consumption can happen without physical production. For example, promoting new collections could involve producing 100 samples to ship to 50 influencers; these items could be sent digitally instead, lessening the carbon footprint. Digital fashion is a way more sustainable solution.
L’O: Iris pioneered technology applied to physical haute couture garments, and DressX pioneered a virtual closet. How do these two complement each other?
IVH: It’s in our nature to have beautiful things. If we have a rich digital wardrobe, we might become more selective and conscious of what we own physically. When I buy something, I wear it for 10 to 20 years, only getting pieces I love. A digital wardrobe where you can be more expressive will help one aspect of sustainability.
"It's in our nature to have beautiful things. If we have a rich digital wardrobe, we might become more selective and conscious of what we own physically."
Iris van Herpen
L’O: So, you suggest digital will fill that urge to want something new?
IVH: It will allow us to change our identities more often, which many people have the need for. It’s a great extension of need without damage. On a more critical note, we still have to be conscious in a digital world because everything that is created uses energy and creative power; we shouldn’t buy 20 digital looks a day. It’s limitless but not without limits.
L’O: I wonder about that too; where does all the energy needed to power a fully digital world come from?
IVH: Ultimately, we need a balance. Even for a digital garment, I would wear it more often. The goal is to wear it more often, right? What are your thoughts, Daria?
L’O: Good question. Can you answer how sustainability has become a beacon for your business?
DS: Our company is carbon neutral. So, we set CO2 emissions for item creation and dressing people in them. Even if it’s less environmentally damaging to produce, one needs to consider how many pieces we buy and wear.
NM: You also need to educate the consumer that digital fashion has costs. Society is dependent on energy consumption and resources for everything, but electricity comes at a cost. Pay-per-use is one model; digital fashion should bring with it new models of consumption.
IVH: I am curious about the need for ownership, like with Netflix and Spotify, who charge a monthly fee for access to culture.
L’O: Like a subscription model?
IVH: Yes. You choose something you want to wear depending on your personal preferences. Some want to own it, but if we think about what goes into it, we can reshare content, and it can be positive. I use the same design process for a digital or physical look, so my connection to the piece is similar. It would be a shame if one person only wears it once.
L’O: Otherworldly is a word that can describe both of your works. How do you define that?
DS: The opportunity to be in several worlds online and create garments that break the rule of physicality has made DressX otherworldly. So does working with as many creatives as possible. In traditional fashion, it’s difficult to collaborate, but it’s easier digitally. With NFTs, proceeds can be distributed through secondary sales. This isn’t possible in fashion. What if Christian Lacroix received money on his garments’ second or third sales? Maybe he wouldn’t have gone bankrupt.
IVH: Ultimately, the beauty of creating something otherworldly is someone exploring this within themselves. For example, when someone puts on a look we created for the first time, you see a transformation in the eyes and face, discovering something new and unfamiliar inside. Beautiful digital fashion allows us to transform how we express ourselves. This will inspire people to be more fluid and experimental in their identity because you can change it the next day.
L’O: Like you don’t have to commit to one idea?
IVH: You can try different things out and experience different communities when the Metaverse is part of everyday life. I think people will embrace their otherworldliness. I hope people will also embrace other communities. It’s easier to step into this universe to discover others.
"Now that the digital economy is forming, designers and creatives must participate in setting up these new rules."
Natalia Modenova
L’O: You both are familiar with collaborations. What other ways can your businesses collaborate?
IVH: I have physical collaborations shown to the world, but I also have personal ones. I am collaborating with a philosopher on a personal and mental level that inspires me through conversations. It’s usually about the materiality—architects, artists, dancers, musicians, and companies—but I embrace it personally. I wouldn’t feel the need to communicate this, but I quite enjoy this different angle.
NM: Everything that happens in a digital fashion space was born from collaboration with people with different skill sets and backgrounds but similar mindsets.
IVH: That’s what I like so much; it’s so connected to a traditional atelier, where artisans with different skills collaborate. It’s the same in the digital realm, like a collective force of knowledge.
L’O: What would you say to those skeptical of the Metaverse or digital fashion?
NM: When people criticize the Metaverse, I say, ‘Remember the first iPhone? Now, look at what you have today.’ Technology will get there. The earlier you embrace it, the sooner it gets better.
IVH: Exactly. I would say the same as Natalia. You need imagination to understand how you will interact in the Metaverse and imagine the progress which will become more humane and intuitive. People can choose what fits them, like a game, an exhibition, or an excellent shopping experience. Anyone who criticizes it can’t understand the interaction in the next few years.
L’OFFICIEL, which celebrated its 100th anniversary last year, is no stranger to covering the leading couturiers du jour. From Jean Patou in 1921 to Christian Dior in 1947, the pages of L’OFFICIEL marked the lauded debuts of couturiers during the craft’s heyday, before the worldwide adoption of pret-a-porter. Many of these designers had the power to disrupt the status quo by creating new silhouettes, as did Poiret in the ‘20s and as Dior’s “New Look” did in the late ‘40s.
Today, DressX is arguably the modern couturier of the digital space, using technology not only to shock but also to create sustainable wares that will never be produced in the traditional sense. As L’OFFICIEL embarks upon the next hundred years and our foray into the latest fashion frontier—the Metaverse—we created a capsule collection in collaboration with DressX, looking to our illustrious past in order to design for the future.
By selecting the first-ever looks to be published on our pages from the top traditional couturiers—from names you know like Patou, Vionnet, Worth, and Dior—and by working with DressX’s creators and technology, we’ve blended the fashion of the past into a digital-first novelty, seen through the lens of what modern women want to wear today. Here’s a first look at L’OFFICIEL’s digital couture, and the archival images that inspired it. Wear this to the next party in your Metaverse of choice.
L’OFFICIEL x DressX “fashion blending” looks are available through the DressX app.
