
Iris Van Herpen unveils glowing algae dress at Paris Couture Week
Encased in a custom nutrient matrix, the algae shimmered in electric blue, blurring the line between organism and couture.
Elsewhere, Van Herpen introduced wedding gowns crafted from lab-grown bio-protein, a futuristic Japanese fiber that's biodegradable and endlessly recyclable - a glimpse of a fashion industry reimagined for a new era.
To further enhance the sensory experience, Van Herpen collaborated with master perfumer Francis Kurkdjian to create a bespoke fragrance. This custom scent was dispersed in waves throughout the venue during the show.

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Euronews
11 hours ago
- Euronews
These high-speed trains in Italy react automatically to earthquakes
From Japan's long experience in earthquake management comes a technological leap forward also for the Italian railway network. From 3 May 2025, the first national Earthquake Early Warning System (EWS) will be operational on the Rome-Naples high-speed line. Implemented by Rete Ferroviaria Italiana (FS Group), the project is the result of collaboration with the Railway Technical Research Institute (JR RTRI), a scientific body of the Japanese railways, and the Physics Department of the University of Naples Federico II. Combining academic know-how and expertise gained in one of the most seismically active areas on the planet, the system now represents a concrete model of innovation in railway safety. How does the new earthquake warning system work? The new Seismic Early Warning system on the Rome-Naples high-speed line is based on a series of integrated technologies that work in a coordinated manner to ensure timely intervention in the event of an earthquake. Accelerometer stations distributed along the line detect the first seismic waves, known as P waves, and send the data in real time via a high-capacity fibre optic network. Advanced software intelligence instantly analyses the information received, assessing the seismic hazard and determining the area to be secured. If a pre-determined risk threshold is exceeded, the system automatically acts on the railway signalling equipment, slowing down or stopping trains in transit in potentially affected areas. Once the seismic event is over, RFI staff can proceed with the checks and, through a dedicated control dashboard, authorise the resumption of circulation in total safety. Sensors along the entire route The technological heart of the system is represented by the accelerometer stations, highly sensitive devices capable of detecting ground accelerations caused by earthquakes already in their initial phases. These sensors are distributed along the entire Rome-Naples section, installed partly on the surface and partly in deep holes, so as to guarantee capillary coverage and minimise detection times. Their connection via an SDH (Synchronous Digital Hierarchy) fibre optic network enables fast and reliable data transmission, which is essential to activate countermeasures within seconds. Innovation and partnership The collaboration between RFI, the Physics Department of the University of Naples Federico II, and JR RTRI provided technical and scientific advice and in-depth expertise in railway earthquake warning systems. According to the operator RailTech, the system became operational on 3 May 2025 and, within two weeks, it was tested by a magnitude 4.4 earthquake. It saw trains on the Rome-Naples line were stopped as a precautionary measure. The EWS is only the first operational application on a high-speed line. As part of RFI's innovation plan, extensions are planned on other high-speed lines and on conventional lines equipped with the European Rail Traffic Management System (ERTMS), with the aim of increasing the resilience of the national rail network. The introduction of EWS on the Rome-Naples HS network marks a concrete integration between advanced sensors, artificial intelligence and critical infrastructure: it is the first Italian case of cooperation between universities, railway companies and international institutes for seismic safety. The real test shows that, in little more than a month, the technology has passed the experimental phase, offering a replicable model in other sensitive areas of the country.

LeMonde
15 hours ago
- LeMonde
Chinese police crack down on young women writing homoerotic fiction
The officers knocked on the door early in the morning. Moments later, a young woman sat, handcuffed, at her living room table, and answered the police officers' curt questions before they took her to the police station for further interrogation. "What does it feel like, for you, to write that?" they asked, while also questioning her about her sexual orientation and practices. The focus of their aggressive investigation was danmei, literally "indulging in beauty," a literary genre mainly written by women – such as an author that Le Monde interviewed, who requested anonymity – which features stories of romance between men, and often includes sexual scenes, with a certain level of explicit description. Inspired by a Japanese trend, "Boys' Love," these novels have attracted a growing number of female Chinese readers, and have also begun to see success in the West. However, the Chinese authorities disapprove, in a country where erotic content is banned by law. Over the past year, dozens of women authors who have written danmei e-books have been arrested in an unprecedented wave of repression, as the Chinese authorities have grown increasingly wary of foreign influences or anything they see as undermining their traditionalist vision of society.


Fashion Network
5 days ago
- Fashion Network
Setchu previews first fragrance collection at Fragranze
Pitti Immagine has announced that Satoshi Kuwata, founder and creative director of the Setchu brand, will be the special guest at the next edition of Fragranze, scheduled for September 12-14 at the Stazione Leopolda in Florence, where he will preview his first perfume collection. Setchu Perfume, the name of the line, consists of five fragrances that recall the designer's signature style, created together with Julie Massé of Mane, one of the most talented noses in international artistic perfumery. "I wanted to be able to recover that intimate and deep scent that accompanies each of us in the ritual of personal hygiene, when time is there and there is no hurry, something moving and clean, neat, terse, immaculate, evocative of one's childhood. Finding the smells of the Eastern and Western baths, bringing back those feelings that belong to us, that are related to care. I thought of Sunday mornings, a slow, flowing time, the pleasure of parental care as the endpoint, and with each element I associated a day of the week," Kuwata said. The inspiration comes from a mix of elements that reflect the link between time, space, and environment. In fact, each fragrance contains in its name a day of the week, a time of day, and a symbol of Japanese tradition: Monday 9 am Genmaicha; Wednesday 5 pm Yuzu; Thursday 1 pm Ayu; Friday 2 am Tatami; Saturday 9 am Hinoki Buro. Also very evocative is the refillable packaging, which recalls the typical Japanese tea box: a perfect cube, minimalist and inimitable, like the contents it holds. "In Japanese, the term Setchu defines an equidistant point between Japanese and Western cultures, different worlds that Satoshi juxtaposes and makes dialogue, that he composes, first in fashion, now also in fragrance," said Francesca Tacconi, special event coordinator of Pitti Immagine. "His fragrance collection evokes in the naming and in the olfactory notes everyday and familiar rituals, it is longing for nostalgia, for a stream of water, or a wood, or a fish, it is linked to a moment of the day, to a moment of care and pleasure. With Setchu we want to inaugurate a series of presentations dedicated to the contamination between artistic perfumery and fashion design."