Dries Van Noten
Founder, Dries Van Noten
One of the ‘Antwerp Six,’ the third-generation designer has built a profitable fashion business, known for its intelligent prints, on his own terms.
Dries Van Noten, one of the most successful members of the renowned Antwerp Six, started his own collection in 1986.
His intellectual aesthetic first took the international fashion scene by storm when he and other graduates of Antwerp’s Royal Academy rented a truck and set up shop at London Fashion Week in 1986 after gathering experience freelancing as a consultant designer and working as a commercial designer for other companies. Since then, Mr van Noten has maintained his independent spirit, and has been maintaining the creative integrity of his design process and aesthetic. An independently-financed designer, in June 2018 Van Noten sold a majority stake of his namesake business to Spanish group Puig. The designer remains the chief creative officer and chairman of the brand.
Van Noten is the third generation of his family to work within fashion; both his father and grandfather were tailors. In 1970 his father opened a boutique on the outskirts of Antwerp selling Emmanuel Ungaro, Salvatore Ferragamo and Ermenegildo Zegna. His father’s business took Van Noten to the menswear shows in Milan, Düsseldorf, and Paris, experiences that taught him both the commercial and technical sides of the industry, and prompted his realisation that he was much more interested in design. In 2007, Van Noten opened his first Paris boutique for women, opening his next location in Tokyo two years later, following the expansion into menswear via another store in Paris.
Van Noten has six stand alone stores, including a five-storey former department store in Antwerp. His collection is sold in over 500 wholesale doors around the world. The scale of his business is particularly impressive given that the designer does not advertise.
He won the CFDA International Designer of the Year Award and the distinction of "Royal Designer for Industry" by the London-based RSA Trustee Board in 2008, and received the honour of Officier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres in July 2014. An exhibition at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris featuring his designs and influences opened that same year. Van Noten also holds the Flemish Royal Academy of Belgium's Gold Medal and the Couture Council of the Museum at FIT New-York's Couture Council Award for Artistry of Fashion.
In 2014, the Parisian Musée des Arts Décoratifs staged the exhibition featuring Van Noten's designs, moving to Antwerp in 2015. In 2016, Van Noten won the Culture Award of the Province of Antwerp for his cultural contribution, dressing the Belgian Queen, various actors for awards and renowned contemporary as well as classical dancers for performances.
VITAL STATISTICS
Dries Van Noten: So Long, Farewell
But after 38 years, 150 collections and 129 shows, is it possible that the best is still to come for Belgium’s finest? In an in-depth profile, Tim Blanks explores the departing designer’s past, present and future, writes Tim Blanks.
Dries Van Noten to Step Down
The Belgian designer will step down as creative director of his namesake fashion house following its June menswear show, he announced in a letter to fashion editors Tuesday.
Dries Van Noten: A Fashion Storyteller Plots A Future Beyond Clothes
With new product categories and retail experiences, the Belgian designer has recast himself as a fashion storyteller. Ahead of his Paris men’s show, Van Noten discusses the past, present and future of the Dries Van Noten brand with Laurence Benaïm.
Dries Van Noten: A Fashion Storyteller Plots A Future Beyond Clothes
With new product categories and retail experiences, the Belgian designer has recast himself as a fashion storyteller. Ahead of his Paris men’s show, Van Noten discusses the past, present and future of the Dries Van Noten brand with Laurence Benaïm.
In Paris, Creators and Imposters
The Paris Fashion Week that closed on Tuesday offered both sparks of originality and shameless theft, writes Angelo Flaccavento.
In Rare Reunion, ‘Antwerp Six’ Answer Students’ Questions
Five members of the legendary Antwerp Six — Walter Van Beirendonck, Dries Van Noten, Ann Demeulemeester, Dirk Van Saene and Marina Yee — discuss the pressures of being a designer, how the industry has changed and staying true to yourself, courtesy of Belgian magazine Knack Weekend.
In Rare Reunion, ‘Antwerp Six’ Answer Students’ Questions
Five members of the legendary Antwerp Six — Walter Van Beirendonck, Dries Van Noten, Ann Demeulemeester, Dirk Van Saene and Marina Yee — discuss the pressures of being a designer, how the industry has changed and staying true to yourself, courtesy of Belgian magazine Knack Weekend.
Dries Van Noten’s Empire of the Senses
‘I can’t complain about the business,’ said the designer as he turned a rundown 18th-century mansion in Paris into a Wunderkammer for his latest collection and the launch of his new fragrance and beauty offering.
It Was Alber Elbaz’s Night…
… and the fashion industry said goodbye with a 45-designer salute and a major tycoon turnout, writes Tim Blanks.
Making Monsters With Rick Owens
His work has always cast a dark shadow, as a kind of elemental counterpoint to the rest of fashion.
The Year Ahead: Less Is More for Both Consumers and Brands
Consumers are rethinking how much they buy, while brands are realising that simply stocking more products does not drive better financial results. Winning companies must reduce complexity and inventory levels by taking a more focused and responsive approach to their assortment.
The Year Ahead: Less Is More for Both Consumers and Brands
Consumers are rethinking how much they buy, while brands are realising that simply stocking more products does not drive better financial results. Winning companies must reduce complexity and inventory levels by taking a more focused and responsive approach to their assortment.
Watch All the Talks from VOICES 2020, BoF’s Annual Gathering for Big Thinkers
Fashion insiders including Remo Ruffini, Dries Van Noten, Samira Nasr, Virgil Abloh and José Neves were joined by experts from the wider worlds of science, technology, politics, economics and more to reflect on a year of global crisis and what’s next for the fashion industry and beyond.
Watch All the Talks from VOICES 2020, BoF’s Annual Gathering for Big Thinkers
Fashion insiders including Remo Ruffini, Dries Van Noten, Samira Nasr, Virgil Abloh and José Neves were joined by experts from the wider worlds of science, technology, politics, economics and more to reflect on a year of global crisis and what’s next for the fashion industry and beyond.
What is The BoF 500?
The people shaping the global fashion industry, curated by the editors of The Business of Fashion, based on nominations and on-the-ground intelligence from around the world.
