"Escaping from everyday reality through addictive digital entertainment is something that plays an important part of everyone's world", is how fashion designer Iris van Herpen describes her inspiration for the Escapism collection. Van Herpen's search for the boundaries between the virtual and the real world resulted in sublime and almost avatar-like designs in grey, black and white. She has conquered the world with her iconic and innovative work. She creates pieces of sculpture, but sculptures in which the human body is essential and the catwalk is her most important platform. She strongly believes that the future of fashion will be influenced by new technology, such as this 3D printing technique, Selective Laser Sintering, and is constantly urging herself and others to take one more step forward. It is not yet technically possible to produce some of her ideas, but it will only be a question of time. The Centraal Museum bought this sensational design straight after the show at the Paris Fashion Week in 2011. We organised Iris van Herpen's first solo museum show, Het Nieuwe Ambacht, in the same year.