Dries van Noten

Dries, Baron Van Noten (born 12 May 1958 in Antwerp) is a Belgian fashion designer and an eponymous fashion brand, which he co-founded with CEO and business partner Christine Mathys.[1]

Dries Van Noten
Born (1958-05-12) 12 May 1958
NationalityBelgian
EducationRoyal Academy of Fine Arts Antwerp
Label(s)
Dries Van Noten
Awards2008 - International Award of the Council of Fashion Designers of America
Websitewww.driesvannoten.be
Boutique Dries Van Noten in Paris.
Coat of arms of Dries Van Noten

Early life and education

Van Noten was born into a family of garment makers and traders: his father owned a menswear shop and his grandfather was a tailor. He graduated from the Antwerp Academy in 1980.

Career

Van Noten freelanced for a variety of local designers before launching a menswear line in 1986.[2] That year, he presented his first menswear collection in London as part of The Antwerp Six collective. That led to a small order from Barneys New York.[3] Louis, Boston, was one of the first to bring Dries to USA, carrying his collection and selling it in Boston. He currently creates four collections a year (men's and women's, both for summer and winter).

In 2005, The New York Times described him as "one of fashion's most cerebral designers".[4] His style is said to be "eccentric", and fell out of favor during the long period of minimalistic fashion in the early 1990s, only to make a comeback towards the mid-2000s,[4][3] culminating with Van Noten's winning of the International Award of the Council of Fashion Designers of America in 2008.

In 2008, Van Noten dressed actress Cate Blanchett for the Academy Awards, and has continued to dress her for other red carpet events since then.[5] Other notable customers include Queen Mathilde of Belgium,[6] and actress Maggie Gyllenhaal.[7] In 2018, the third episode of television show Killing Eve notably featured one of his items, known eponymously as the Dries van Noten suit.

The brand does not offer haute couture; all of its designs are ready to wear and available at retail: "I'm a little naive but I don't like the idea of showing things that you don't sell in a store", said Van Noten in a recent interview.[4] His work is said to be characterized by use of prints, colors, original fabrics and layering. He does not advertise.[8]

Van Noten's brand has shops in multiple locations worldwide. The first, opening in Antwerp in 1989, was "Het Modepaleis". Shop openings in Hong Kong and Tokyo followed. In early 2007, a shop was opened in Paris, decorated with antiques collected by Van Noten and his partner Patrick Vangheluwe,[9] followed ten months later by a shop in Singapore.[3] The brand is said to be carried in some 400 fashion shops around the world.

As the brand is a private company, not much is known about its financial affairs, although it claims to have annual sales of some 30 million euro.[3] In 2018, it was acquired by family-owned Spanish fragrance and fashion firm Puig; van Noten himself remains a minority shareholder.[10][11]

Legacy

The Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris mounted an exhibition in 2014 devoted to Van Noten's designs and their influences, which later traveled to Antwerp.[12] The show included 180 Van Noten pieces and 100 more paintings, garments and clips from outside collections.[13]

Honours

Personal life

Van Noten and his partner Patrick Vangheluwe work and live in Antwerp. The couple resides in a house situated on a nearly seven-acre plot of land outside of the city.[4]

References

  1. Vanessa Friedman (February 21, 2014), Lunch with the FT: Dries Van Noten Financial Times.
  2. "Making his own way in the fashion world". Asiaone.com. 10 November 2007. Archived from the original on 6 September 2009.
  3. Colman, David (19 June 2005). "Just Step on the Gas and Say Om". The New York Times.
  4. "dries van noten - Search Results - Style Darling Daily". StyleDarlingOnline.Wordpress.com. Retrieved 31 March 2017.
  5. "The Royal Order of Sartorial Splendor: Week in Review: Princess Mathilde, 8–14 May". OrderofSplendor.blogspot.com. 22 May 2011. Retrieved 18 May 2012.
  6. "Maggie Gyllenhaal in Dries Van Noten". Tomandlorenzo.com. Archived from the original on 7 January 2012. Retrieved 18 May 2012.
  7. Givhan, Robin (7 October 2004). "Clothes Ready For Takeoff On the Paris Runways". The Washington Post. Retrieved 1 July 2014.
  8. Browne, Alix (1 April 2007). "Home Shopping". The New York Times. T Style Magazine.
  9. Jennifer Weil (June 14, 2018), Dries Van Noten Acquired by Puig Women's Wear Daily.
  10. Elizabeth Paton and Vanessa Friedman (June 14, 2018), Dries Van Noten Sells Majority Stake to Puig The New York Times.
  11. Jennifer Weil (June 14, 2018), Dries Van Noten Acquired by Puig Women's Wear Daily.
  12. Vanessa Friedman (February 21, 2014), Lunch with the FT: Dries Van Noten Financial Times.
  13. "Modeontwerper Dries Van Noten wordt baron". De Morgen. 19 July 2017.


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