There are certain designers who often remain outside of the mainstream conscience, but whose names are on the lips of everybody who matters. Iris Van Herpen is one such designer, a rare genius who transcends the lines between fashion, art and intellectualism. For AW 14’ Van Herpen brought the twisted word of HR Giger to life with a stunning collection which embraced the avant garde. The experimental designer does not follow trend nor consumer demand, hers is a unique vision. Models were vacuum packed into suspended animation in Lawrence Malstaf created art installations which developed the impression of models being weightless and breathless above the runway. Van Herpen employed an almost viscously skeletal silhouette, her signature corsetry, and played with form and contortion. This was seen particularly in the stunning couture footwear, a collaboration with Rem D Koolhaas’ United Nude, and the organically ‘Alien’ esque shoes have already become one of the most talked about things to emerge from this PFW.