Following in Dries’ footsteps: the Very First Collection Сrafted by his Antwerp Studio

It is still under wraps who is going to succeed Dries Van Noten, who decided to retire from fashion, bidding farewell to the industry with a powerful spectacle back in June. Meanwhile, his Antwerp studio took the reins and produced the very first collection without his direction. A joyous study of his fashion legacy. 

A Love Letter from the studio

This was the very first collection imagined entirely by Dries’ team: meaning that his Antwerp studio worked on it alone without asking the Belgian maître for any advice or direction. With clashing patterns and an array of heavy-embroidered looks, it felt like a love letter to their favourite boss, who left the House last June to focus on other personal projects and his highly successful beauty line. It was touching to see Dries, seated front-row, watching a new chapter of his brand unfold just in front of him. Smiling and very attentive, he looked convinced: his kids were alright. When all of the members of his studio came out after the finale to greet the audience, something clicked: I was among those who could not stop their tears. We miss you, Dries.

From the past to the future

Dries fans, rejoice! For Spring-Summer 2025, Dries Van Noten’s studio decided to place a bet on some of the most well-known patterns from Dries’ earliest collections, revamping them for modern times. And thus, admiring and reinterpreting the designer’s language with fluency and lightness. There were orchids and other exotic flowers on delicate raincoats, enlarged to the point of abstraction, where you could barely recognise them. Another highlight was a delicate jacquard piping that mimicked a python (the opening trench look will be a bestseller next spring). And of course, there was the Dries’ unique colour palette: vivid hues of orange, lime green and turquoise echoed his Spring-Summer 1997 collection, but were masterfully mixed with earthier browns and beiges.

A focus on jackets

When Dries started his career, it was all about men’s jackets. So this collection masterfully blends all types of jackets you could ever think of. There was a leather one in olive green and a tweed one to keep you warm during colder summer nights, that you could easily mix with jeans, miniskirts and minishorts. There was also the embroidered version of an oversized blazer straight from the men’s wardrobe (Dries’ women love an extra sparkle), and the eye-catching jacquard models with various floral prints. And of course, the extra long jackets, that you could use as a coat.

Courtesy: Dries Van Noten

Text: Lidia Ageeva