Belgian designer Dries Van Noten announced his retirement in March 2024, which shocked and upset fashion people. He just held his last and 129th show at Paris Men’s Fashion Week and said goodbye to design forever.
In this article from Sarak’s Closet magazine, more than anything else, we will discuss the different point of view and way of thinking of this independent designer; The same way of thinking that helped him to calmly and continuously take his way in the adventurous world of fashion and be a role model for the new generation of designers.
The aesthetic of his designs is an attempt to achieve rich structure, combining colors, textures and prints. Van Noten believes that he does not design for a specific person and in each season he illustrates several different characters for his collection. At the same time, the clothes are controversial and cause for reflection.
Dries van Noten’s life and career
Dries Van Noten is one of the famous Belgian fashion designers who is known for his unique combinations of beauty and functionality, cultural histories and modern life and such contrasts. In the following, we will discuss in detail some aspects of his life and career.
Dries Van Noten was born in 1958 in Antwerp, Belgium. Van Noten was born into a family of clothing manufacturers and merchants; His father owned a men’s clothing store and his grandfather was a tailor. Both his grandfathers were art collectors and according to him, he has been dealing with art since he was a child.
After graduating brilliantly from the Antwerp Academy of Fine Arts, he worked as a freelance design consultant. In 1986, he launched his first personal collection of menswear.
He managed his brand independently for a long time and, unlike many brands in the nineties, did not go under the name of large luxury companies such as LVMH. He preferred freedom of action and relaxation to presenting several compact collections each year.
It was in 2018 that Dries Van Noten, one of the last independent names in European fashion, sold the majority of his business shares to the Spanish luxury group Puig. This move reflects the difficulty independent brands face in the global marketplace due to the constant pressure to innovate and grow technology.
And finally, in March 2024, Newton announced his retirement. “My dream was to have a voice in fashion,” she wrote in a public letter. That dream came true. Now, I want to focus on all the things I never had time for.” Of course, he will work in the line of beauty products of his brand, which he calls “the soul of the brand”, and also as a store designer and brand consultant.
point of viewDries Van Noten in fashion and design
As mentioned, Dries has a different perspective on fashion. He is very realistic and knows himself and his way well. He ran the Van Noten brand in his own way in Antwerp and did not move to the fashion capitals.
Dries Van Noten stood by his beliefs and stayed true to them from his first fashion show in 1991 to the final show. In the following, we discuss his way of thinking in clothing design and fashion world.
1. Balance and harmony is everything.
– Dries Van Noten always tries to maintain a balance between the views of the past and the needs of the present and future in his designs.
– He seeks to create harmony in matters such as beauty and ugliness, femininity and masculinity, contrasting colors and new patterns, etc.
– Dries Van Noten emphasizes the combination of tradition and handwork with innovation and the use of technology.
– His designs are a balance between creativity and utility, and for this reason, they have attracted the attention of fashion enthusiasts around the world.
2. Beauty in imperfection
Dries Van Noten doesn’t like perfection.
– He sees beauty in being real and combining beauty and ugliness.
– His favorite collection of his own work is The Francis Bacon Show. After seeing this painter’s exhibition, Drees was inspired by the magical combination of imperfection and perfection for his collection. He says: “I hated the paintings and loved them at the same time. They were both beautiful and ugly, and things like this surprise me and teach me.”
3. Being away from the hustle and bustle
– He has mentioned many times that he prefers living in small towns to the hustle and bustle of big cities.
– He, who has all his brand’s activities in Antwerp, says that the big city takes energy from a person and does not allow deep thinking.
– Since he is a curious person and pays attention to everything and everywhere, being in a small town gives him the possibility to be in contact with all kinds of people, tastes and thoughts. Something that cannot be done in a big city; Because people are forced to divide into groups such as neighbors of a neighborhood or people who like music or go to galleries and see the world from the perspective of their small group.
– Van Noten maintains this thinking for his brand even after his retirement. Most of his potential brand partners wanted to move the house to Paris or Milan, but he insisted on staying in Antwerp.
“(Being in Antwerp) is part of our soul and it’s a fact that when you’re not in the big fashion city, you create a healthy distance (from the hustle and bustle of the fashion world),” he said in his latest interview. As a result, you create different clothes.”
4. Always searching and learning
– Driss always pays attention to the details around him; From the news of the day to the blooming of a flower. This attention to detail is also evident in his designs.
– He learns from different cultures and chooses his favorite elements from each culture and puts them together; For example, he uses elements of Indian culture and elements of African culture side by side.
– Choosing and combining these layers in his personal way helps balance and arrangement in his designs.
– He draws inspiration from various sources such as art, music, culture and history; But his eyes are on the future and practicality of the clothes he designs.
5. Dries van Noten’s ultimate goal
– His ultimate goal in fashion design is not just to present a beautiful and exciting show, but to get people to buy and wear his clothes.
– Van Noten does not advertise and the only way to show his designs is through six-monthly fashion shows. Therefore, he sees these shows as the final presentation of the efforts, ideas and time behind the clothes.
Van Noten’s last collection
“There is no beginning and no end.” This was the statement Van Noten made in his latest fashion show.
Van Noten did not intend for his last show to be retrospective or nostalgic; But the presence of a model who walked in his first show in 1991 and flying silver foils on the floor, reminiscent of the fall 2006 gold leaf show, hinted at Naughton’s journey through time. This performance was like a love letter to the world of fashion.
Many critics called Van Noten a poet, and Diesel’s designer Glenn Martens said after seeing the show: “For me, his shows are poetry and beauty, and of course they are great.”
Glenn Martens, the genius behind Diesel
Playing David Bowie’s music, which happened to be related to the time, graceful movements of the models and the presence of famous designers to pay tribute, made an emotional and flawless combination for this final catwalk.
He also demonstrated his ability to apply and combine innovative techniques. In Van Noten’s spring-summer 2025 collection, we see designs in his usual style, which is light tailoring, long and loose clothes that harmonize with the body and not against it. Also, unimaginable layering such as a transparent and delicate blouse over a thick coat, transparent organza top and pants, which are perfectly balanced next to the formal footer.
There was fine embroidery, with gold and silver threads on the clothes, and special materials such as shiny leather with snakeskin print, fluffy fluorescent wools, luxurious velvets, and semi-transparent recycled polyester all came together to form a cohesive whole. In the pattern section, big flowers with the traditional Japanese “ink transfer” method came out from among the buttons and pants and trench coats.
After four decades of activity, Van Noten said goodbye at the peak of his success and popularity, and the reason for this was as follows: “Fashion is not a profession; It is a way of life and an addiction. “Like most addictions, at a certain point, it gets out of control.”
Sources:
www.gq.com
www.thecut.com
www.nytimes.com
www.theguardian.com
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