Dries Van Noten: the Career of the Belgian Designer, the History of His Brand

Unconventional, transversal and firm in his roots. Dries Van Noten is one of the most famous designers of the “Antwerp Six” collective. Born in 1958 to a family of clothing merchants and tailors, his city, Antwerp, still occupies a large space for his inspirations and his creative practice. He studied at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in his city. To pay for his fashion studies, he worked as an independent designer for various clothing companies and as a buyer for his father's boutiques.

After the incredible show of the “Antwerp Six” in London in March 1986, Van Noten began his success with some men’s shirts that were selected for Barneys in New York and Whistles in London. In the same year, the designer decided to open a small store in his hometown. It lasted only three years before being replaced by Het Modepaleis. In 1991 he presented his men’s collection for the first time during Paris Fashion Week and only in 1993 he debuted with his first women’s collection. Wide jackets, prints in collaboration with artists and dresses embellished with finishes, embroidery and beads made with Eastern, African, and Indian folk techniques.

Throughout his career as a designer, Van Noten has received many awards, including the International Designer of the Year in 2008 from the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA). In October 2016, Dries Van Noten won the Culture Prize of the Province of Antwerp for his contribution to culture. Always in step with the times, the Belgian designer in 2020 was the first to sign the petition to change the crazy pace of fashion weeks to redirect the annual fashion calendar in a more sensible and consumer-friendly way.

Van Noten left his mark without necessarily having to subvert the fashion system. He would send invitations to unconventional fashion shows, study the setting, be intentional with the soundtrack and casting, and more. It was expert sartorial performance.

In 2004 he celebrated his fiftieth fashion show with a dinner in Paris, where the models walked freely on the tables wearing the creations of the Spring/Summer 2005 collection. For the occasion, the book Dries Van Noten 01-50 was also presented, and in March 2017, he presented the book Dries Van Noten Book 1-100 with a collection of all his 100 fashion shows.

Keep scrolling to discover Dries Van Noten's inspirations, exhibitions, and documentary.

Dries Van Noten's Inspirations

Van Noten's collections are a perfect balance between essential details, unexpected colors and a mix of floral or animal prints. From the tribute to the relationship between fashion icon Marchesa Casati and Italian poet Gabriele D'Annunzio with the Fall/Winter 2016 women's collection, to the Spring/Summer 2000 men's show inspired by Stanley Kubrick's masterpiece Clockwork Orange. His is a spontaneous and authentic approach that looks to an international cultural melting pot.

His references come from painting, photography, cinema or music, from the East as well as the West. He has collaborated with artists and interior designers, as in the case of Vernon Panthon for the '70s prints of Spring/Summer 2020 or Anna Tereasa De Keresmecker for the performances presented during the pandemic era shows. He also worked with couturier Christian Lacroix to present the crossover Fall/Winter 2020 collection.

Dries Van Noten's Exhibition

During his career, Van Noten has collaborated with numerous museums and theaters. In 2014, he opened Inspirations at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris, the first ever exhibition with the clothes, drawings, and inspirations that his creative practice refers to. The creations were placed alongside the fashion collections of the Arts Décoratifs, as well as a Venus by Yves Klein and a portrait of David Bowie. For the exhibition catalog, Pamela Golbin, Susanna Frankel, Hamish Bowles, Bruno Rogers, and more created a book titled Dries Van Noten Inspirations that brings together images of fashion shows compared with the inspirations of the Belgian designer.

Dries Van Noten's Documentary

There is also a documentary about Dries Van Noten's career directed by filmmaker Reiner Holzemer and distributed by the London-based film company Dogwoof Pictures. Simply titled Dries, the feature film explores the 25 years of his career from the late '80s and his graduation from the Royal Academy in Antwerp. It's an immersion in the personal universe of Dries Van Noten. The documentary also features characters such as Iris Apfel, Pamela Golbin and Suzy Menkes.