Speaking to Vogue about this new use of Ocean Plastic®, van Herpen explained that “[couture] clients expect the highest quality out there, so you don’t want to go sustainable if you lower the quality. We are now at a moment where the quality [between an organic silk and a recycled polyester] is completely equal. It’s really a matter of decision, it’s not a matter of choosing a quality. There’s not a lot of reason not to use sustainable materials anymore, other than changing your mindset.”

Taking cues from the natural world, Roots of Rebirth features 20 other looks inspired by roots, fungi, mycelium and spores. During the show, models appeared to drift amid intertwined branches with each stride, the entanglement of each garment resembling roots of regeneration. As the collection notes, the mysteries of the undergrowth “influence the composition of our sacred planet selflessly through shape-shifting silhouettes that bring the promise of a renaissance and regeneration”. Holobiont and the other looks are “dedicated to the importance of our being and the valiance of nature. With the persistence of time, evolution prevails, and while these beings are never truly fixed, they exist merely in a state of flux, a rippling fabric of life itself, dancing to the benevolent beat of rebirth.”