After nearly four decades, the famed designer wants to make space for the next generation.
Dries Van Noten, the beloved Belgian designer known for his buzzy prints and elegant silhouettes, announced his imminent departure from his namesake label. His final show as creative director will be in Paris for the men’s spring 2025 season.
“In the early ’80s, as a young guy from Antwerp, my dream was to have a voice in fashion,” he wrote in an Instagram post. “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.”
Founded in 1986, Dries Van Noten, as a label, has garnered a wide-reaching, yet cultlike, following made up of well-respected fashion-industry leaders. His designs, which are sometimes polarizing (Anna Wintour reportedly refuses to wear his work) often lean toward avant-garde opulence, filled with bold patterns and prints; bright, lush colors; and luxe fabrics. As a person, Van Noten has garnered lifelong admirers throughout the steady drumbeat of his career. While the designer sold a majority of his brand to the Spanish fragrance and fashion firm Puig in 2018, Van Noten has established himself as an industry veteran who has avoided some of the pitfalls large brands looking to grow often fall into (i.e., gimmicks). As a result, Van Noten has inadvertently bolstered himself as one of the most respected designers in the industry.
“I can’t lie, I did a little cry this morning. It has been an immense honor to live with his clothes and take him with me through every part of my life,” the stylist Amanda Murray, who fondly refers to Van Noten as “Papa Dries” and estimates 70 percent of her closet is from his collections, wrote on Instagram this morning alongside a photo of the two together. “No one has made me feel more myself than my Papa Dries, and that is a gift for which I’m eternally grateful.”
Just a glance at many fashion writers’ and editors’ social-media pages this morning highlighted the magnitude of Van Noten’s impact — many of them, including WSJ.’s Sarah Spellings and the Cut’s market editor, Cortne Bonilla, posted their first or favorite Van Noten outfits they’d worn or purchased themselves, highlighting how they felt when wearing or simply looking at the clothes he’d crafted.
“Dries to me is what fashion should be about — art references, eccentricity, personality, and freedom. His pieces always sent a jolt of inspiration through me, and always made me feel like I could express myself better, communicate better, through clothing,” Bonilla said.
While a successor has yet to be announced, “Conversations with designers in Europe have already taken place,” according to WWD. The outlet also noted that Van Noten would continue as chief creative officer and chairman of the board, according to parent company Puig. In his announcement, Van Noten noted his spring 2025 women’s collection “will be made by my studio team with whom I have been working very closely during all these years,” writing that he has “full confidence that they will do a great job.”
Dries closed his statement with a sketch of himself alongside his beloved dog, Harry, the two of them looking delightfully content. Perhaps now, he’ll have time to tend to his absolutely magnificent garden at his home in the Belgian countryside.
