Renowned Belgian fashion designer Dries Van Noten retires

Renowned fashion designer Dries Van Noten has announced that he will be stepping down from his career this June at the age of 65.

“I've been preparing for this moment for some time and I think it's time to make way for a new generation of talent to bring their vision to the brand,” Van Noten said.

Van Noten is one of the famed "Antwerp Six", a group of Belgian designers who have achieved international success and left an indelible mark on fashion history.

A graduate of the Antwerp Academy of Fine Arts in the early 1980s, Van Noten quickly established himself as one of the pillars of the Belgian fashion scene alongside contemporaries Dirk Bikkembergs, Ann Demeulemeester, Walter Van Beirendonck, Dirk Van Saene and Marina Yee.

He helped revolutionise the fashion landscape with an avant-garde approach and distinguished aesthetic.

Since founding his own label in 1985, Van Noten’s commitment to excellence in craftsmanship and attention to detail has earned him numerous accolades, including the International Award from the Council of Fashion Designers of America in 2008, the Gold Medal from the Royal Flemish Academy of Arts in 2009, and the title of Officier de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres in France in 2015, as well as the title of Baron in Belgium in 2017.

The designer sold a majority stake in his fashion house to the Spanish Puig Group in 2018, while remaining involved in the company. Now he says he is stepping down to make way for the younger generation.

His last creation will be a men's collection for the spring-summer 2025 season and the name of any successor to the Van Noten fashion house has not yet been officially announced.

Photo: Jasper Jacobs/Belga