Dries Van Noten is retiring from the scenes

According to the latest hour report from the source WWD, Belgian designer Dries Van Noten has reportedly announced being ready to hand over the reins of his own brand to a successor. Thus concluding a nearly forty-year career in fashion, the designer's final show will be presented next June at Paris Fashion Week Men’s, with the search for the brand's future creative director already underway for months. «We will announce the designer who will continue our story in due course,» Van Noten said in a statement. «I have prepared for this moment for some time, and I feel that the time has come to make room for a new generation of talents to bring their vision to the brand». The last groundbreaking news that had forever changed the trajectory of Van Noten's brand was released in 2018, with the acquisition of a majority stake in the brand by the Puig group, but this announcement truly marks the end of an era for the industry. According to WWD's investigations, Van Noten's potential successor could currently be part of the ateliers of Tod’s, Bally, Alexander McQueen, and Moschino. The first collection without the founding designer, he explained, will be created by the design team that has been alongside Van Noten for years, but the designer added «I will remain involved in the maison that is so dear to me», referring to his role as chairman of the board of the maison.

The career of Dries Van Noten has been widely celebrated throughout his career, with a starring role in an exhibition in 2014 at the Museum of Decorative Arts in Paris, showcasing the influences of pop culture and art in his designs. In 2023, he received the WWD Honour for Designer of the Year, in 2008 he was awarded the CFDA International Designer of the Year, and he has been described by The New York Times as «one of fashion's most cerebral designers». His career began in the 1980s at the University of Antwerp, where he graduated in fashion design alongside Walter Van Beirendonck, Ann Demeulemeester, Dirk Van Saene, Dirk Bikkembergs, and Marina Yee, a group later recognized as the Antwerp Six. He founded the eponymous brand in 1985, debuting at Paris Fashion Week in 1991. Over the years, his designs have seamlessly combined tailoring excellence and technology, a feat made even greater by the designer's decision not to resort to media to publicize his work. «The brand is now flourishing. Like in a garden, you decide what to plant and at some point, it keeps blooming», Van Noten explained to WWD. «Seeing our pieces around the world, knowing they have a place in your life, has fulfilled me beyond words. I am certain of this: the future of DVN remains bright».