19 Brands Like Iris Van Herpen for Avant-Garde Fashion
As one of fashion's true innovators, Iris Van Herpen is in a league of her own. Her work feels less like clothing and more like wearable art from the future, blending cutting-edge tech like 3D printing with the time-honored techniques of haute couture. The results are breathtaking, sculptural pieces that push the absolute limits of fashion.
If you're captivated by her avant-garde vision and are looking for other designers who challenge the status quo, here are 19 similar brands that treat fashion as an art form.
1. Balenciaga
Under Demna Gvasalia, Balenciaga has become a master of experimental, oversized, and often deconstructed silhouettes. Their runway shows constantly push boundaries with sculptural shapes and futuristic aesthetics that share a spirit with Iris Van Herpen. While more rooted in ready-to-wear, Balenciaga offers that same cutting-edge, high-fashion feeling for those who want their statement pieces to feel utterly modern.
2. Comme des Garçons
The legendary Japanese label is practically synonymous with avant-garde fashion. Famous for its conceptual designs, unexpected fabric combinations, and asymmetrical cuts, Comme des Garçons creates wearable art that challenges every convention. While Van Herpen often looks to technology, CDG focuses on powerful artistic themes and theatricality, resulting in pieces that are pure creative expression.
3. Rick Owens
Rick Owens is the king of dark, edgy, and sculptural clothing. His work often features dramatic draping, unconventional volumes, and a gothic-meets-minimalist vibe that feels both futuristic and ancient. Like Van Herpen, Owens creates wearable sculptures, but his come with a rebellious, brutalist twist that's perfect for anyone seeking artful fashion with a defiant edge.
4. Viktor & Rolf
This design duo is known for haute couture that doubles as conceptual art. Their collections feature wildly exaggerated silhouettes, powerful structures, and a sense of theatricality that makes every runway show an event. They share Van Herpen's love for transforming the human form through fashion, focusing heavily on meticulous craftsmanship and witty, thought-provoking storytelling in their designs.
5. Craig Green
British designer Craig Green is celebrated for his conceptual menswear that feels both utilitarian and deeply artistic. His work often involves layered, structural-like pieces that resemble modern armor or abstract installations. He shares Van Herpen's obsession with form and creative use of materials, but applies it with a more grounded, functional aesthetic for a unique avant-garde vision.
6. Maison Margiela
Deconstruction is the name of the game at Maison Margiela. The house is famous for pulling apart traditional garments and reassembling them in brilliant, unconventional ways. This inventive approach and experimental use of materials create pieces that blur the line between clothing and sculpture, appealing to the same crowd that loves Van Herpen's conceptual point of view.
7. Haider Ackermann
For a sleeker, more refined take on sculptural fashion, Haider Ackermann is a must-know. He is a master of draping and volume, creating dramatic silhouettes that are both sophisticated and artful. While his color palette is often more subdued, his incredible skill with fabric manipulation aligns with Van Herpen's dedication to creating exceptional forms, offering a polished yet avant-garde edge.
8. Gareth Pugh
Gareth Pugh creates bold, theatrical fashion defined by sharp geometric shapes and unconventional materials like PVC, latex, and metal. His designs are pure sculpture, often looking like futuristic armor or performance art pieces. Pugh shares Van Herpen's futuristic vision and love for innovative construction, making his work ideal for those who want their fashion to be an indisputable and unforgettable statement.
9. Yohji Yamamoto
A true master of avant-garde design, Yohji Yamamoto is known for his signature use of asymmetry, dramatic draping, and a predominantly black color palette. His intellectual approach to fashion results in oversized, sculptural pieces that completely rethink traditional tailoring. He is a kindred spirit to Iris Van Herpen in how he creates thought-provoking, artistic clothing that challenges how we think about form.
10. Hussein Chalayan
Hussein Chalayan is a conceptual designer whose work lies at the intersection of fashion, technology, and art. He creates 'transforming' garments that beautifully explore ideas of science and movement, not unlike Van Herpen's high-tech creations. His collections are for those who are just as fascinated by the idea behind a garment as they are by its aesthetic.
11. Paco Rabanne
A legend in space-age fashion, Paco Rabanne pioneered the use of materials like metal plates, plastic discs, and chains in clothing. His futuristic, sculptural designs defined '60s avant-garde and continue to feel groundbreaking today. His innovative spirit and creation of wearable armor-like sculptures align perfectly with Van Herpen's boundary-pushing ethos.
12. Junya Watanabe
A protégé of Comme des Garçons' Rei Kawakubo, Junya Watanabe is known for his techno-couture. He creates experimental fashion using intricate patterns, layered technical fabrics, and mind-bending constructions. Like Iris Van Herpen, he fuses technology with craftsmanship, but his work often has a utilitarian or streetwear-influenced edge that makes it uniquely his own.
13. Thom Browne
Thom Browne takes classic tailoring and catapults it into the avant-garde with extreme proportions, surreal details, and sculptural shapes that defy convention. His art-inspired collections are both highly conceptual and meticulously crafted. Browne's work echoes Van Herpen's structural sensibilities but with a bizarre, preppy-gone-wrong twist that's completely unique.
14. Schiaparelli
The modern incarnation of Schiaparelli is a celebration of surreal, artistic, and utterly bold fashion. Under Daniel Roseberry's direction, the house creates fantastical pieces adorned with whimsical sculptures, anatomical references, and theatrical silhouettes. In spirit, it's just as committed to creating wearable art as Iris Van Herpen, but with a playful, surrealist vocabulary.
15. Alexander McQueen
The late Lee Alexander McQueen was a master of theatricality, creating dark, romantic, and beautifully twisted runway masterpieces. The house continues his legacy of sculptural silhouettes, incredible craftsmanship, and conceptual storytelling. McQueen shares Van Herpen's dedication to pushing fashion into the realm of high art, creating pieces that are both breathtakingly beautiful and emotionally powerful.
16. Y/Project
Y/Project, under Glenn Martens, is celebrated for its highly experimental take on tailoring. The Parisian brand features deconstructed silhouettes, twisted constructions, and dramatically exaggerated proportions that make every piece a talking point. For those who love the sculptural aspect of Van Herpen's work but want it with a raw, streetwear-infused attitude, Y/Project is the perfect fit.
17. Zhang Huan
While Zhang Huan is a contemporary artist, not a fashion designer, his work offers incredible inspiration for fans of Iris Van Herpen. His large-scale sculptures and installations explore form, materiality, and the human body in ways that feel deeply connected to avant-garde fashion. Following his work is a must for anyone who loves the intersection of art and fashion and wants to see where the next boundary-pushing ideas are coming from.
Written by
Ash Read
