Dries Van Noten

THE BELGIAN DESIGNER DRIES VAN NOTEN STUDIED AT THE ROYAL ACADEMY OF FINE ART OF ANTWERP, WHERE HE MET THE OTHER MEMBERS OF WHAT LATER BECAME “THE ANTWERP SIX”, A GROUP OF SIX DESIGNERS WHO STUDIED IN ANTWERP AND WERE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE CULTURE AND FAME OF BELGIAN FASHION. TOGETHER, THEY PRESENTED THEIR FIRST COLLECTIONS IN LONDON IN 1986, THAT SAME YEAR, DRIES LAUNCHED HIS MENSWEAR LINE. VAN NOTEN SOON START TO DESIGN FOUR COLLECTIONS A YEAR, BOTH FOR MEN AND WOMEN, AND RESPECTIVELY FOR SUMMER AND WINTER.

COMING FROM A FAMILY OF TAILORS, DRIES VAN NOTEN INITIALLY THOUGHT TO PERPETUATE THE TRADITION AND OPEN A TAILOR SHOP IN ANTWERP BEFORE REALISING HE WOULD PREFER EXPRESSING HIS CREATIVITY THROUGH DESIGNING CLOTHES. HIS UNIQUE AESTHETIC WITH ITS INTUITIVE AND EXPLORATIVE CHOICES, STOOD OUT IN THE 1990S MINIMALISTIC FASHION PERIOD. THE BRAND IS CHARACTERISED BY ITS ORIGINAL PRINTS, FABRICS AND COLOURS, OFTEN INSPIRED BY ART, CINEMA AND THE PERFORMING ARTS. UNTIL 2018, WHEN HE SOLD THE MAJORITY STAKE OF HIS LABEL TO THE GROUP PUIG, THE LABEL REMAINED FINANCIALLY INDEPENDENT FROM BIG GROUPS WHILE KEEPING ADVERTISING LOW. PLAYING WITH EXPERIMENTS ON TEXTILES AND EMBROIDERY TECHNIQUES, VAN NOTEN’S CREATIONS DIFFER BY THEIR BRIGHT COLOURS AND THEIR NATURAL, WHILE LUXURIOUS MATERIALS.

THE BRAND’S STYLE IS VERY MUCH APPRECIATED, WITH DRIES WINNING MANY PRIZES, SUCH AS THE INTERNATIONAL AWARD OF THE COUNCIL OF FASHION DESIGNERS OF AMERICA IN 2008. HE DRESSED MANY PERSONALITIES, SUCH AS THE QUEEN MATHILDE OF BELGIUM AND THE ACTRESS CATE BLANCHETT FOR ALL HER RED-CARPET APPEARANCES. IN 2017, THE LABEL DRIES VAN NOTEN CELEBRATED ONE HUNDRED COLLECTIONS WITNESSING THE DESIGNER’S ENDLESS INSPIRATION. USING HIS NAME FOR THE BRAND, VAN NOTEN PLAYS WITH CLICHÉS AND REFERS TO MANY DIFFERENT CULTURES THROUGH HIS DESIGNS.