On July 7, 2022, fashion designer Iris van Herpen collaborated with chocolate ice cream brand Magnum to create a couture dress inspired by ice cream.
On July 7, 2022, fashion designer Iris van Herpen collaborated with chocolate ice cream brand Magnum to create a couture dress inspired by ice cream.
△Model Cindy Bruna shows the world the first ice cream couture dress designed by Magnum and van Herpen using 3D printing at Paris Fashion Week
To reflect the silky smoothness of Magnum's ice cream, Van Hepburn once again used 3D printing technology, which was unveiled at Paris Fashion Week this Monday, to showcase the "deliciousness and decadence of plants" combined with fashion. It is said to be the first couture made from cocoa bean shells, and a celebration of Magnum's vegan collection, which uses sustainable materials.
Leading the 3D printing trend
For over a decade, Van Herpen has been at the forefront of combining 3D printing and digital fabrication techniques with high fashion design. Starting with her "Crystalline" 3D printed top in 2010, the design maven has taken many bold steps with the technology. Since then, she has created 3D printed fashions for celebrities such as Bjork, Beyonce and Lady Gaga, and has collaborated with companies such as Stratasys and materialise to bring her wild designs to life.
Close up of model wearing "Cellchemy" mask
The core of Van Hepburn's many 3D printing technologies is the "plant" manufacturing process developed in collaboration with TU Delft, and in 2019, the pair presented the "Cellchemy" 3D printed design to the world for the first time at the Museum of Fine Arts. Facial jewelry.
Van Hepburn makes dresses for Game of Thrones actresses
Over the years, her 3D printed designs have graced the shows of Paris Fashion Week, from the dress on Game of Thrones actress Gwendoline Christie to the "Magnetic Motion" collection inspired by the Large Ion Collider. She has also designed gowns for several celebrities, including for Canadian musician Grimes, and for Dove Cameron, Teyana Taylor, Winnie Harlow and Fredrik Robertsson, all four dresses using 3D printing technology.
△ Dutch fashion designer Van Hepburn, who established herself as a pioneer in 3D printed fashion, created a dress that was named one of the 50 best inventions of 2011 by Time magazine
Fusing cocoa and high fashion
Hailed as a "first of its kind," the ice cream couture dress is made using a complex 3D design and SLS additive manufacturing process. The dress is made from sustainable materials designed to echo the vegan ingredients in Magnum's ice cream, including processed cocoa bean shells, which can be made completely organic, and sustainably 3D printed polymer materials. In addition, the dress features intricate details such as botanical-like copper-plated body embellishments entwined with upgraded sheer hard yarn, as well as other 3D printed-specific elements.
△ At Paris Fashion Week, Van Herpen's Haute Couture dress designed using 3D printing technology
"I was honored to work with Magnum to bring the ice cream dress to life," Van Herpen said. "As a designer, I am always striving to push the boundaries of design, and this collaboration really allows me to take my art one step closer to creating a more high fashion design. The ice cream dress is part of Van Herpen's 15th anniversary collection, which is titled "Meta Morphism" and aims to explore society's embrace and acceptance of a "new world of digitalism" with the arrival of the metaverse. From Magnum's perspective, the collaboration with Van Herpen marks the brand's first step toward a broader fashion landscape. It also underscores the company's long-term commitment to improving sustainability in the industry. The project is described as "a dynamic collision between ice cream and high fashion" and aims to support the brand and Van Herpen's desire to create a fully sustainable production chain within the fashion industry.
