Van Herpen graduated from the ArtEZ Hogeschool voor Kunsten (ArtEZ Institute of the Arts) in Arnhem, did an internship with Alexander McQueen among others, and started a label under her own name in 2007. A year later, she was nominated for the prestigious Createurope: The Fashion Academy Award. Her outfits appeared in fashion magazines such as Vogue, Numero and Dazed and Confused. In conjunction with United Nude, she launched a limited-edition shoe line in 2010.