A Letter to Dries: HD Fashion remembers one of the most iconic designers of the generation

It’s a news that came as a surprise. On Tuesday afternoon, Dries Van Noten announced that after 28 years in business he will be stepping down from his namesake label. His next menswear show in June will be his last. Though it’s still under wraps who will fill his shoes, what we already know is that it’s the end of a very beautiful era. And, yes, Dries will be missed.

“In the early ‘80s, as a young guy from Antwerp, my dream was to have a voice in fashion. Through a journey that brought me to London, Paris and beyond, and with the help of countless supportive people, that dream came true. Now, I want to shift my focus to all the things I never had the time for. I’m sad, but at the same time happy, to let you know that I will step down at the end of June. I have been preparing for this moment for a while, and I feel it’s time to leave room for a new generation of talents to bring their vision to the brand”, explained Dries Van Noten in his letter to the editors. More than just a statement, but more of a personal note to the community who supported him from day one. With references to gardening, of course, his favorite pastime. Because Dries has never been just a designer, he has always been a dreamaker, a gardener that knows how to grow the most exquisite flowers and take good care of them. 

A fashion entrepreneur in the third generation, his grand dad was a tailor and his parents ran a fashion boutique, Dries graduated from the Royal Academy of Fine Arts and started his career in menswear but quite naturally from his very first Antwerp Six showroom in London became a specialist in tailoring for both men and women, mixing prints and colours in the most surprising of combinations. His shows were always (and it’s hard to say “were” instead of “are”) a highlight of Paris Fashion Week, where he has been showing four times a year for more than 30 years now. It’s an array of beautiful fashion memories. Always emotional, daring, on point, with showstopper soundtracks, but never boring. Every editor has a couple of favorite Dries’ moments. An immense banquet table catwalk, where models literally walked on the white table cloth of a dinner table to celebrate his 50th collection. The show on the stage of Opera Garnier. Collaborations with his friend and fellow designer Christian Lacroix or interior legend Verner Panton. A rave on the roof of a garage on the outskirts of Paris. The one with the girls, who lounged and fell asleep on the mossy green carpet. Or the one with the boys holding radios that played the show soundtrack as they walked around the École des Beaux-Arts. 

Dries always cared about the people. Though far away, his artisans in India for him are as important as his teams in Antwerp and Paris. In the world where luxury giant Loro Piana’s story breaks the Internet for the case of misconduct towards Peruvian farmers, working without pay to shear Vicuña wool for the sweaters later to be sold for thousands of euros, Van Noten’s example is more than precious. It’s lifesaving. 

Many of us are also his avid collectors: Dries’ sales for friends and family became a legend on their own, with fans traveling to Antwerp to get their hands on the best finds from the beloved designer. It’s true that at his shows, you could always spot the biggest industry critiques, buyers and influence makers, dressed impeccably in his clothes. An act of true love, bigger than any formal industry approval. 

In 2014, Musée des Arts Décoratifs dedicated a solo show to him, curated by fashion expert Pamela Golbin and titled “Inspirations”, where you could literally get into the Belgian designer’s head and understand what his world is made of. I think I returned to it more than three times. In fact it was so popular back in the days, that the museum decided to keep it for a few extra months. And that was way before the blockbuster Dior exhibition, which, frankly, had another budget but lacked the magic. 

When Dries Van Noten sold his stakes to the Spanish perfume giant Puig back in 2018, we were all afraid that he would lose his independence and the collections would become more commercial. He proved us wrong. Instead, he found more strength in the partnership and launched impeccable beauty and perfume products, that are as beautiful as his clothes. And completely eco-responsible, you can refill the arty cases and bottles endlessly. Van Noten also opened more boutiques around the world with strategic flagships in China and Los Angeles, and one more boutique in Paris on Quais Malaquais in a former antique gallery, his cabinet of curiosities. Launched an ecommerce store, a digital version of his shopping experience. Dries opened to the new generations of his fans, inviting more curious minds in search of beauty and meaningful clothes to his universe. And now, the plan is to make this mechanism work forever, even if it’s heart returned to where he belonged, his garden. 

Text: Lidia Ageeva