Antwerp, the Birthplace of Fashion - Part 2

As outlined in Part 1, Dries Van Noten is a member of the avant-garde fashion collective known as ‘The Antwerp Six’.

Dries Van Noten is the third generation of his family to work in the fashion industry, but after his father exposed him to fashion shows in Milan, Paris and Dusseldorf, he shifted his family’s vision from tailoring to design. In 2007 he opened his first boutique in Paris, offering womenswear exclusively, and, in a surprisingly swift and rarely seen international leap, he opened a second boutique in Tokyo only two years later, expanding the range to include men’s wear.

The designer now eighteen stand-alone stores, including in Tokyo, Antwerp, Hong Kong, San Francisco, Moscow and Busan, but has remained independent despite being approached by reputable conglomerates such as Kering and LVMH. His boutique in Antwerp is set-up in a five-storey former men’s wear symposium, showcasing his ready-to-wear collections. His work is characterised by its prints, layering and bright colours, combining elements of design with a ready-to wear frame of mind. “I’m a little naïve, but I don’t like the idea of showing things that don’t sell in a store,” he explains.

Het Modepaleis, 'The Palace of Fashion', Dries Van Noten flagship store in Antwerp

Still today this is seen in his collections; Dries Van Noten’s SS21 collection was inspired by New Zealand artist Len Lai’s psychedelic celluloid prints rich in movement. “I love to see clothes in movement, I love to see people moving in the garments, that’s why I also love fashion shows so much, which are not possible now”.

© Len Lye

© Viviane Sassen for Dries Van Noten SS21

He is arguably the most commercially successful of the six, irreversibly associating his name to high fashion and galvanising the minds of future designers, in the likes of Veronique Branquinho, Les Hommes, Anna Heylen and Raf Simmons. His contributions to fashion are outlined in a duet of collection books, “Dries Van Noten 1-50” and “Dries Van Noten 51-100”, elucidating his vision for a “more considerate relationship between garment and its wearer” in the creation of his label. His success is all the more impressive given the brand’s abstaining from advertising, eventually even gaining the appreciation of the Queen of Belgium, whom he dressed many a times.