iris van herpen explores nature through cymatics
For her collaboration with the champagne house Maison Perrier-Jouët, Iris van Herpen looks to the vineyards of Champagne, where she records sounds and explores their visual patterns through cymatics, a technique that makes sound visible by showing how vibrations create patterns in materials such as water, sand, or powder. The Dutch fashion designer uses these patterns to create a sculpture made from silk and recycled gold, as well as designs for champagne bottles, drawing on her interest in the forms and rhythms found in nature. The project also draws on the Art Nouveau tradition, which has long informed the visual identity of Maison Perrier-Jouët, bringing van Herpen’s interest in natural forms into dialogue with its artistic heritage.‘The world is not only visual but vibrational – woven together by invisible forces that connect all living things,’ says van Herpen.
ART NOUVEAU INFLUENCES PERRIER-JOUËT BELLE ÉPOQUE 1988 SCULPTURE
The collaboration between Maison Perrier-Jouët and Iris van Herpen began in December 2025, when the fashion designer became the first recipient of the Perrier-Jouët Design for Nature Award. Both the designer and the champagne house draw inspiration from nature, a connection that reflects Perrier-Jouët’s association with Art Nouveau and its use of organic forms. For this project, van Herpen recorded sounds in the house’s vineyards in Ambonnay and Cramant, then explored them through cymatics, a technique that makes sound vibrations visible as patterns, which became a starting point for the forms developed throughout the collection.
Van Herpen is interested in how vibrations can create patterns that are invisible to the naked eye. This idea runs through much of her work, where she brings science and nature together to explore forms that might otherwise go unnoticed. For Symphonic Bloom, she translates these studies into a sculptural piece that surrounds a rare jeroboam of Perrier-Jouët Belle Époque 1988. Made from silk and recycled 22-carat gold, the sculpture rises from the neck of the bottle, with organic forms inspired by her cymatics research. The design draws on conversations with the cellar master of the house, Séverine Frerson, about how the flavors of champagne develop over time. The upward movement of the sculpture recalls dancer Loïe Fuller’s flowing costumes, as well as an Art Nouveau lamp by Raoul Larche from the collection of the champagne house at Maison Belle Époque in Épernay.
SYMPHONIC LIFE AND THE BELLE ÉPOQUE 2018 CHAMPAGNE EDITION
Van Herpen continues the project with Symphonic Life, a limited edition of ten pieces, each featuring a magnum of Perrier-Jouët Belle Époque 1999. Made from recycled 22-carat gold, the designs build on the organic shapes of Symphonic Bloom, wrapping around the bottles. She has worked with cellar master Séverine Frerson on a special edition of Perrier-Jouët Belle Époque 2018, with a redesigned bottle and gift box. The design takes cues from the textures of metal, wood, silk, and velvet. Working with van Herpen, Frerson adjusted the dosage to bring out the cuvée’s floral notes and texture in the champange. ‘The floral signature of Perrier-Jouët is born from a deep connection with nature and a continual search for elegance and nuance. Through our dialogue with Iris van Herpen, we explored texture as a shared language, from the tactile qualities of her work to the layered sensations that define an exceptional champagne,’ notes Frerson.
The works were revealed at Tokyo Gendai in September 2026 and presented during Perrier-Jouët’s Banquet of Nature at The Peninsula Paris on October 21st, before continuing to Design Miami in December 2026.
project info:
name: Symphonic Bloom, Symphonic Life, and Dedicated Cuvée by Iris van Herpen
designer: Iris van Herpen | @irisvanherpen
collaborator: Maison Perrier-Jouët | @perrierjouet
cellar master: Séverine Frerson
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