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YAMAGATA, Japan, July 9, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — At the forefront of high fashion and biomaterial innovation, Japanese biotech venture Spiber, a pioneer in man-made protein fiber, and acclaimed Dutch haute couture designer Iris van Herpen together unveiled one of the designer’s two bridal looks during Paris Haute Couture Fashion Week Autumn/Winter 2025. This partnership represents a powerful dialogue between science and art—two pioneering voices united by a shared aspiration to redefine the future of fashion.
Iris van Herpen’s SS26 couture collection features a wedding dress crafted with Spiber’s innovative man-made protein. Photo: Daniele Oberrauch
Both founded in 2007, Spiber and Iris van Herpen have followed parallel paths of radical experimentation: Spiber in biomaterial engineering, and Van Herpen in avant-garde couture design. Their collaboration signals a deep philosophical alignment, where creativity, technology, and sustainability are not separate pursuits, but interconnected forces shaping a new material narrative.
This shared belief is grounded in a common source of inspiration: nature. While Van Herpen draws from the forms, rhythms, and intelligence of the natural world in her designs, Spiber engineers entirely new proteins by designing DNA based on examples found in nature such as spider silk, cashmere fibers, silk cocoons, and more. The result is a new class of material, one not found in the natural world, yet containing the fingerprints of its underlying logic.
“Biomimicry is ever-present in Spiber’s approach and that is truly similar to our own methods. Fusing the organic with the innovative, recreating nature’s way of making a material, starting with a protein… Spiber has been able to translate a complex technology to meet the needs of designers and create something truly wearable, which is a rare quality.
I feel Brewed Protein™ fiber brings a lightness and a softness that I am looking for, resulting in fabric that floats around the skin. It has a very attractive, organic, and natural presence which is embodied in the whole look. The Spiber team and I share the same attention to detail and texture—the sensorial qualities of the material.” – Iris van Herpen
Spiber’s Brewed Protein™ fiber is the only man-made protein fiber to be successfully industrialized, positioning the company as a global leader in biomaterials for fashion and beyond.
The material forms the foundation of the bridal look, where sheer organza is cut in gradient-sized moonshapes and heatbonded to the laser cut Brewed Protein™ fabric bonings. Hundreds of white coral petals are then stitched upwards onto a nude illusion tulle, spiralling down into a translucent twisted train.
“At Spiber, we believe in the expressive power of materials—their ability to tell stories, to inspire emotion, and to redefine our relationship with nature. Working with Iris van Herpen, whose designs go beyond the physical to evoke the beauty of life’s complexity, has resulted in an extraordinary manifestation of our mutual values.
Our Brewed Protein™ fiber was born from the same curiosity that drives Iris’s work: a desire to explore the boundaries of what is possible when we look to nature for questions, without focusing solely on answers. This collaboration reflects a vision of fashion that is both sensorial and systemic, where fabrics are not just worn, but experienced, and where innovation arises from a deep sensitivity and curiosity toward the living world.
We’re honored to be part of this moment, and hope it marks the beginning of a new paradigm in how we create, feel, and evolve with the materials around us.” – Kazuhide Sekiyama, Spiber Co-founder and Representative Executive Officer
The artisan bridal look is more than a moment on the runway—it is a statement of possibility. Both Van Herpen and Spiber believe that collaboration across disciplines is essential to addressing the complex challenges facing fashion and the environment. Their work together serves as an artistic and technological blueprint for future innovation.
Looking towards the future, Spiber and Van Herpen hope that this is only the beginning. Their teams will explore new possibilities with a shared ambition to continue pushing the boundaries of material innovation and reimagining what fashion can be.
Spiber Inc.
Established in 2007, Spiber is a biotech venture company based in Yamagata, Japan. Dedicated to creating innovative solutions that contribute to sustainable well-being, Spiber has developed a new material solution inspired by nature’s diversity and circularity: the “Brewed Protein™” material platform. By harnessing the power of precision fermentation, Spiber engineers proteins at the molecular level, resulting in versatile materials that can be tailored to specific needs. This innovative solution opens up new possibilities for sustainable and high-performance materials in various industries, including apparel, food, automotives, and more.
Spiber website: https://spiber.inc/en/
Spiber is a trademark or a registered trademark of Spiber Inc. in Japan and other countries. |
Brewed Protein™ is a trademark or a registered trademark of Spiber Inc. in Japan and other countries. |
Brewed Protein™ fiber
A premium, plant-based material produced using Spiber’s fermentation (brewing) technology, providing a circular solution and pioneering a new category of protein fibers. Due to its plant-based ingredients and resource-efficient production process, Brewed Protein™ fiber has the potential to significantly reduce environmental and animal welfare impacts compared to traditional materials.
Iris van Herpen
Since its establishment in 2007 and its prestigious membership in the Fédération de la Haute Couture in 2010, the Maison of Iris van Herpen has consistently combined innovative techniques with traditional Couture craftsmanship, resulting in sensorial designs that beautifully capture the intricacy and diversity of the natural world.
