Iris van Herpen Wins First Perrier-Jouët Design for Nature Award
Iris van Herpen, a Dutch haute couture designer and artist, has won the inaugural Perrier-Jouët Design for Nature Award. The prize comes from the Champagne house Perrier-Jouët, founded in 1811, and Design Miami. As winner, she has full freedom to make a one-off piece for their 2026 event. WWD got the exclusive first.
Her Path in Fashion
Van Herpen started her namesake label in Amsterdam back in 2007. She pulls from nature’s hidden patterns—think ocean rhythms and underground life—and mixes them with science, sound, tech, and handcraft. 8weekly.nl That sets her apart as a top forward-thinker in couture. Caras calls out how she builds a fresh take on sustainability that’s poetic and sharp.
What the Award Recognizes
The award pushes designers to tackle sustainability in the Art Nouveau style, linking nature, culture, and art. It backs projects that pair bold ideas with eco steps, like team efforts that rebuild rather than just reuse. Luxury Daily reports it spotlights her drive in sustainable fashion.
Judges saw her as a perfect fit. Axelle de Buffévent from Pernod Ricard, which owns Perrier-Jouët, pointed to the biomimicry all through her work—it’s joyful and crosses fields. Glenn Adamson from Design Miami praised her as fashion’s top innovator, jumping design types and ideas, while keeping craft central alongside digital tools.
- Her Paris couture show last July had a “living look” from millions of glowing algae.
- Another dress used lab-grown “brewed protein.”
To spark her project, van Herpen toured the Perrier-Jouët estate in Épernay, France, talked with the cellar master, and checked out its surroundings. It’s her first new work aimed at the design crowd, after shows in fashion and art museums. Yahoo Entertainment, republishing WWD, covers the details.
Van Herpen told WWD she’s early in planning but wants to chase a tighter link between art and nature: “Every act of creation extracts something from nature, and I believe in giving back with the same inventiveness and wonder.”
Perrier-Jouët has teamed with artists since 2012 for shows at big fairs, building on that history.