Thus far, there is no official day of mourning in the fashion luxury sector. However, March 19th will surely resonate as much as February 19th, March 18th, February 11th and April 24th when, respectively, fashion lost Karl Lagerfeld of Chanel and Fendi, Azzedine Alaïa, Alexander McQueen and Alber Elbaz (Some Phoebe Philo devotees would even add December 22nd, the day in 2017 it was confirmed she was leaving Celine to this line-up.) While Dries van Noten is entirely among the living, he announced via Instagram and in emails to the fashion press that he was stepping down from the label he founded in 1986. At a time when major fashion houses are plucking celebrities and making decisions to hire creatives based on social media profiles and indie brands propped up by deep pockets but lacking a seasoned creative POV and any natural design acumen are sprouting up, the news is particularly dour to fans of Van Noten’s unique vision. Fans and the industry took to social media with their feelings of loss in a testament to the designers standing.
In a letter penned “Dear Friends,” the humble designer expressed that he was feeling both sadness for leaving his role and joy at the newfound freedom not producing four collections a year (two women’s, two men’s) would grant him.
While thanking his staff, Van Noten stated that his men’s Spring Summer 2025 collection would be his last and that his studio team would design the women’s Spring Summer 2025 while the brand continued to look for his replacement. Though he declined to say how, the beloved Belgium designer—a member of the infamous Antwerp Six, graduates of the Belgian Royal Academy of Fine Arts, which includes Walter Van Beirendonck, Ann Demeulemeester, Dirk Bikkembergs, Marina Yee, and Dirk Van Saene—said he would remain involved in the company.
The designer thanked Patrick Vangheluwe, his partner who joined the brand in 1987, and his partners at Puig, Marc Puig, Manuel Puig, Jose Manuel Albesa, and Ana Trias for helping him build the brand further by helping launch beauty and perfume lines, extend the accessory offerings, add e-commerce and open innovative stores since becoming majority shareholders in 2018. Among the stores was the first US flagship store in Los Angeles, which opened in 2020 with a designated gallery space called The Little House.
The adjoining gallery is a testament to van Noten’s appreciation of other creative disciplines as he has lent his platform to several. At The Little House, fine art exhibitions include works by Gus Van Sant, Dustin Yellin, Brian Rochefort, Marievic, and Reinaldo Sanguino from The Future Perfect. In Paris, at the cherished Quai Malaquais gallery, he shows an installation by Bouke de Vries.
Other projects include musical playlists, sounds curated by Bleached, Sunflower Bean, Ethan Silverman Glasser, and fashion critic Tim Blanks, among others, and a curated dance series produced for the California store.
Unlike many designers and brands, Van Noten kept his vision intact with few collaborations but made exceptions for Christian Lacroix with a seminal 2019 show and the iconic surf wear brand Stussy.
So far, Van Noten is leaving on a high note as his women’s Fall Winter 2025 collection, now the last women’s collection he designed, was received with high praise. For some, it ushered in the end of Quiet Luxury. In show notes, the designer opened with, “She dares to cut her own fringe. Embraces the comfort of contradictions, her femininity at once tender and strong. Exudes an ineffable mystique: discreet yet audacious. Signals calm as well as boldness.”
In a sense, this always sums up the designer’s MO for his women’s line. While obviously devoid of Van Noten’s penchant for bold prints, usually mixed up, Fall Winter 2024 had clever reinterpretations and mashups of combining the most unexpected items, making him the star he is. Case in point in this show were sequined sleeves on a suiting plaid blazer worn with jeans, grey marl T-shirts paired with a silk duchesse skirt in a vivid colorway, and chic twists on the ubiquitous hoodie. Whether intended or not, the designer seems to have borrowed the words of PT Barnum, “Always leave them wanting more.”
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