Emma Van Engelen – Bhumi Clothing – Divine Garden

Bhumi Clothing’s Divine Garden merges 3D-printed innovation, sculptural sensuality, and mythology with a more inclusive vision of fashion

At the crossroads of innovation, sustainability, and artistic expression, Emma van Engelen is reimagining the possibilities of contemporary fashion. Through the use of 3D printing, bio-based materials, and sculptural forms inspired by nature, mythology, and the human body, the designer creates immersive worlds where technology and craftsmanship exist in harmony. With her latest collection, Divine Garden, she explores themes of love, sensuality, and transformation through a contemporary reinterpretation of the myth of Aphrodite. For IRK Magazine, Emma van Engelen reflects on her creative journey, her vision for the future of fashion, and her commitment to building a more inclusive and sustainable industry.

IRK: Since the creation of Bhumi, your universe has continued to evolve while maintaining a strong identity. Looking back on this journey, what principles or beliefs continue to guide your work today?

Emma Van Engelen: Innovation and body diversity have guided my work from the very beginning. After starting in the fashion industry as a model at fifteen and seeing little change in body representation, I later decided to use fashion to celebrate the beauty of different body shapes.

I also believe that everything we create has an impact. This conviction naturally led me towards innovation in fashion and eventually towards 3D printing. I see it as a potential answer to many sustainability challenges. It allows designers to create pieces on demand, entirely in-house, and even locally. In the future, manufacturers could print an item closer to its destination, reducing the need for unnecessary shipping.

Creatively, I enjoy combining innovation with organic structures to develop unexpected forms. For Divine Garden, I designed and 3D-printed a mould before pouring latex into it to recreate a smocked texture traditionally created in fabric. I enjoy experimenting with materials, textures, and unconventional processes.

My work draws inspiration from mythology, ethereal beings, and the utopian worlds that fascinated me when I was younger. Beyond garments, I create complete universes where every visual element contributes to the story.

At its core, my work is about bringing a vision to life. My motivation is to contribute something positive and to help create a more inclusive, sustainable, and inspiring environment within fashion.

IRK: 3D printing has become an essential component of your creative practice. How has this technology transformed the way you approach forms, textures, and silhouettes over the years?

Emma Van Engelen: 3D printing opened an entirely new creative world for me. It gave me the opportunity to transform ideas into tangible objects and to create things that would have otherwise remained in my imagination.

As a young designer, I dreamed of creating my own shoes, bags, and accessories, but without significant resources, that seemed out of reach. Discovering 3D printing changed that. The more I explored the technology, the more possibilities it revealed, unlocking new ideas and new ways of creating.

It has also made the design process far more accessible. I can produce everything in-house, work on a made-to-order basis, and develop custom pieces quickly and independently. As an emerging designer without external funding, this technology has allowed me to build my practice on my own terms, with every piece designed and produced in my studio.

What excites me most is its potential for sustainability. I work with bioplastics that can be reused, while excess materials can be transformed into new objects rather than discarded. It encourages a more circular approach to creation and production.

I enjoy challenging the futuristic aesthetic often associated with 3D printing by introducing organic forms and textures. Through coral-inspired bags and sculptural drapery, I explore how technology and nature can coexist.

IRK: Bhumi promotes a more inclusive vision of the female body and challenges conventional beauty standards. What role do you believe fashion can play in reshaping these narratives today?

Emma Van Engelen: I believe fashion sits at the forefront of cultural change. What begins on the runway often finds its way into the media, social platforms, and ultimately into the way people perceive themselves and others.

Because of that influence, fashion has a responsibility to represent a wider range of bodies. It has also played a significant role in shaping unrealistic beauty standards. I have never understood the idealisation of body types that most women neither possess nor can realistically attain. In many cases, the measurements celebrated by the industry resemble those of adolescents rather than adult women.

Personally, I believe garments look far more beautiful on real, diverse body shapes. Greater inclusivity is not only necessary, it is also something consumers are actively asking for. The average woman bears little resemblance to the bodies traditionally presented on runways, which highlights the disconnect that still exists within the industry.

Fashion has always influenced the trends that eventually filter into society. The recent return of ultra-thin beauty ideals, for example, was visible on runways long before it reappeared in mainstream culture. That is precisely why representation matters. As an industry, we have a responsibility to continue pushing for broader, more inclusive standards that allow more people to feel seen and valued.

IRK: If Bhumi could leave a lasting mark on the fashion industry over the next decade, what change would you most like to inspire through your work?

Emma Van Engelen: In ten years, I hope Bhumi will be recognised not only for its aesthetic identity, but also for its contribution to a more responsible and forward-thinking fashion industry.

A significant part of my work focuses on exploring innovative methods of creation. I am currently researching compostable bioplastics that could transform how we think about the lifecycle of garments and objects. Instead of becoming waste, these materials can be reused, repurposed, or returned to the earth.

I am also interested in rethinking production itself. With technologies such as 3D printing, brands can manufacture products closer to where customers need them, reducing unnecessary transportation and encouraging a more local, ethical, and efficient model of fashion.

While body inclusivity remains a core value of my practice, I believe one of the greatest challenges facing fashion today is finding ways to create that are genuinely kinder to the planet. The technology and innovation already exist; the challenge is making these solutions desirable, accessible, and part of everyday culture. Fashion has the unique ability to bridge that gap.

Ultimately, I hope to contribute to a fashion industry that is both more sustainable and more inclusive. I would love to see a future in which the fashion industry embraces a wider diversity of body shapes as the norm, allowing more people to feel seen and reflected in fashion. In many ways, I simply want to help create the kind of industry I once hoped to find myself.

About Divine Garden:

IRK: Your latest collection, Divine Garden, unfolds as a particularly rich and immersive universe. How did the idea for this imaginary garden first emerge, and what were the initial images or emotions that guided its creation?

Emma Van Engelen: At its core, Divine Garden is inspired by the myth of Aphrodite. According to the legend, she is born from the foam of the sea, which felt like a natural continuation of my previous collection, Bathe in the Waters, itself inspired by the ocean. I was drawn to the idea of extending that narrative through a new chapter centred on love, sensuality, and transformation.

The collection carries a quieter and more intimate atmosphere than my earlier work. Aphrodite, as a symbol of love and passion, became the perfect figure through which to explore those themes. Her story also led me towards classical references, particularly the drapery found in paintings and sculptures. I became fascinated by the challenge of recreating movement through solid forms, developing sculptural pieces that appear fluid and alive despite their materiality.

Floral elements emerged naturally within this universe. The rose, traditionally associated with Aphrodite, became a recurring motif, symbolising both beauty and renewal. More broadly, the collection reflects ideas of blossoming, growth, and the arrival of spring.

I was also interested in revisiting a narrative that has endured for centuries. From ancient mythology to Renaissance depictions of The Birth of Venus, artists, writers, and creators have continually reinterpreted Aphrodite’s story throughout history.With Divine Garden, I wanted to offer a contemporary reading of that timeless mythology through my own visual language.

IRK: Organic forms and sculptural details play a significant role throughout the collection. What do they represent for you, and how do they contribute to the narrative of Divine Garden?

Emma Van Engelen: I often think of my creations as sculptures in the most literal sense. When I work in 3D modelling software, the process feels very similar to sculpting with clay. I am shaping, refining, and developing each piece digitally before it is brought into the physical world through printing.

This approach has naturally drawn me towards classical art and traditional sculpture. In many ways, I see 3D printing as a contemporary form of sculpting. One that allows me to combine digital innovation with artistic techniques that have existed for centuries.

Organic forms have always been a central source of inspiration in my work. Whether through texture, movement, or silhouette, I try to translate those natural influences into the objects and garments I create.

IRK: Every collection tells a different story. What distinguishes Divine Garden from your previous projects, both creatively and personally?

Emma Van Engelen: I would describe Divine Garden as a quieter and more refined expression of my creative universe. While it remains connected to my previous work, it feels like a natural evolution, both artistically and personally.

In recent years, I have found myself increasingly drawn to themes of love, intimacy, and sensuality. These ideas became the foundation of the collection, while also allowing me to further explore the relationship between fashion and art, which has always been central to my practice.

For my previous collection, Bathe in the Waters, I drew inspiration from the idea of immersing oneself in the ocean and washing away life’s burdens. At the time, I had just graduated from fashion school and was entering a new chapter of my life. That sense of renewal became an important part of the collection’s narrative.

Today, I feel more grounded and more confident in my creative voice, and I think that naturally reveals itself through Divine Garden. The collection reflects a certain maturity, not as a deliberate departure from my earlier work, but as the result of personal growth and an evolving perspective.

Ultimately, the collection is rooted in the idea of love. Something deeply universal that connects us all. In many ways, Divine Garden reflects the themes and emotions that feel most meaningful to me at this stage of my life.

Full Crédits:

Photographer: Chiara Steemans @chiara_steemans / Videographer: Raphy @raphygraphie / Make up artist: Aoife Dewandeleer@its_eefa / Wig/ hair artist: Victoria Zynwala @kingrogi22 / Models: Joann van der Herik @joannvdherik / Jazz Khalifa @jazzbenkhalifa