Dries Van Noten Exits on a High, On His Own Terms.
Review of Dries Van Noten Spring 2025 Men’s Fashion Show
By Angela Baidoo
THE COLLECTION
THE VIBE
A LIFE IN TECHNICOLOUR, WELL LIVED
The announcement of Dries Van Noten’s retirement from the namesake label he founded in 1986 was the most lamented within the industry in recent memory. The epitome of a designer’s designer, the most well-known member of the Antwerp Six is fiercely independent and uncompromisingly authentic. Matching intellectualism and innovation with a spirit of freedom and spontaneity as embodied by his signature print explosion, Van Noten’s career eschewed trends while drawing on a deep understanding of sartorial tradition (he comes from a family of tailors), creating clothing that is at once wholly original and beautiful in a classical sense.
Almost 40 years and over a hundred collections later, Van Noten ended a career characterized by integrity and a visionary commitment to craft on a final high note.
THE THEME
The Showspace
Fashion shows are renowned for their late starts – the record may still be held by Marcus Jacobs New York fashion week show for in 2007, which started over two hours late – but this was an event where a late taxi was not an option, and an hour before the doors opened to the venue – which was a disused warehouse space – a line had started to form down the street as we waited patiently (no small feat considers the number of Editors-in-chief per square foot) to be let in, and say our final farewells to a master of colour, print, and kindness.
The Atmosphere
In honour of Van Noten there was a concerted effort to mix and match prints and textures and fabrics and tonight no combination would be wrong. Silver pants, silver shoes, silver tinsel, floral sequins, sheer striped tunics adorned with embellished feathers, jacquard bombers, baroque quilted opera coats, Swarovski encrusted skinny ties, sunshine yellow pailette bags, and flamingo pink pants were all present and competing for attention, for the title of the nights best dressed.
The great and the good of the fashion world transplanted themselves from central Paris to make the pilgrimage to the outskirts to say a final farewell to a beloved member of one of their own. And It was a veritable publishers paradise as editors, stylists, art directors and photographers from every leading platform, whether physical or digital, including The Impression were in attendance.
Many of the in-house (production, beauty, factory) and store staff were also here for this evenings event, many of whom wanted to witness the end of an era that they had been so intrinsically part of, but who would have also been responsible for cultivating the list of select loyal clients who would have flown in specially for the occasion. These relationships are sure to be more important than ever as the brand transitions to a changing of the guard. They will need reassurances that the Dries magic will remain.
The Guest List
Dries Van Noten himself took a victory lap around the crowded room prior to the shows start, greeting his many guests from inside and outside the industry which included Thom Browne – in town for his couture show on the 24th June – as well as Pierpaolo Piccioli (newly contract-free) and Haider Ackermann who spent most of the pre-show proceedings deep in conversation. Fellow designers and industry fans also included his fellow Antwerp Six co-hort member Walter Beirendonck, Glenn Martens, Diane Von Furstenburg, Harris Reed, Stephen Jones, Hamish Bowles, as well as Venus Williams, Derek Blasberg, and rapper IDK.
The Show
As guests mingled happily in the industrial space, while watching a series of Van Noten’s greatest moments on a giant LED-screen covered cube, a set of curtains parted for the dramatic reveal of what was to be the scene for the final runway show. A runway adorned, as it happened, in silver leaf – a throwback to his fall 2006 show when the runway was covered in gold leaf. Perhaps a subtle way for the designer to let us know that all lifes decisions can have a silver lining, for while we may conceive the designers departure as the great loss that it is, he views it through an optimistic lens as it will afford him the time to pursue other creative endeavours, and of course, tend to his infamous garden.
After taking our seats, and not quite being able to comprehend that this day had finally come – there were already a few attendees with glassy eyes, which evolved into full-on tears as he took his final bow – a voiceover by David Bowie (from Moonage Daydream, a film by Brett Morgen) came through the speakers and spoke of the concept of time, reciting “Time, one of the most complex expressions, memory made manifest. It’s something that straddles past and future without ever quite being present”. As a designer, Van Noten’s past is something that is assured and will continue to provide a living archive for generations of fledgling young creatives to use as a catalyst for their own careers, while the future is uncertain for the brand, it is no longer a growing concern for Van Noten. So in the choice of the reading, there is a strong message there in choosing to be present rather than always rushing ahead or reminiscing on what has been. The spoken words of Bowie then broke into the familiar bars of his 1977 hit ‘Sound and Vision’. Initially the choice may have appeared obvious – as an upbeat accompaniment to a runway show – but at the time of writing Bowie was at a low point, wondering if he could continue to do what he loved, and through writing the song it broke a period where the artist was suffering a creative block, ‘waiting for the gift of sound and vision’ to once again manifest. Here the parallels become clear and the choice of song makes perfect sense. Because even though we can assume he has never suffered a day where the ideas for new collections were not pouring from his mind, in choosing to walk away, maybe it’s more so about making a choice to take the pressure off and channell his gift into avenues new.
For his final collection, we lucky few got to experience in person a creative at his peak. One not reliant on rehashing his greatest hits, but presenting the living embodiment of why he is held in such high esteem as he took us through the motions with clothes whose designs will transcend time. Starting off with a playful tease by the designer, attendees may have been tricked into believing that for his last show it would be all about the modern phenom ‘Quiet Luxury’, but it was simply him flexing his muscle as a master tailor-with-a-twist (least we forget). As perfectly cut double-breasted pinstripe blazers, Bermuda shorts, and relaxed cargo pants were paired with sheer over-layers – trousers, tops, and outerwear – as if the designer didn’t want a single element of his collection to be hidden under solid layers. This sombre start broke out into a sprinkling of embellishment across jackets and utilitarian looks cinched in with wide waist belts, before emotions began to run high as a section of liquid-metallic tailoring also translated to metallic thread embroidery on asymmetric anorak style shirts.
His way of combining rich colours is part of what will be missed, but the blueprint for what could come next was laid out as the mixing of utility, sportswear, and ethereal layers was a masterclass in creating clothes that will be forever loved. Texture was also a keen component in today’s collection, from the first reveal of the silver leaf floor fluttering in the breeze to the high-shine technical outerwear in deep aubergine, velvet soft chenille knits and crinkled organza trench coats. There were many ideas that seemed to meld into one and prove that we were witnessing the end of a colour-full era, an era of clothes that simply beg to be lived in, that will allow you to stand apart, as if not purposely participating in fashion but in an artist’s fantasy.
The closing section, which came all too soon, was uplifting and vibrant with an increased presence of sporty silhouettes against easy separates, where his signature hibiscus flower blooms were mixed and matched with wallpaper prints in glossy finishes giving them a technical update. To conclude colourful metallics made way for another Van Noten signature in the form of pure gold with a fascinatingly shimmery fabric, possibly symbolising the enlightenment which the designer has found, and in doing so has taken the brave decision to leave the stage on a high, on his own terms.
THE BUZZWORDS
Time capsule, silver linings, colour and craft, technically brilliant, liquid layers
THE SHOWSTOPPER
Look #62
An example of Dries Van Notens distinctive vison, where colour, texture, and print come together to create clothes that transcend time and place.
THE DIRECTION
THE QUOTE
You’re aware of a deeper existence. Maybe a temporary reassurance that indeed there is no beginning, no end.”
David Bowie, Moonage Daydream, a film by Brett Morgen
THE WRAP UP: LASTING IMPRESSIONS
Not many designers are afforded the opportunity to have a say in when they choose to leave the stage. But for Dries Van Noten and his brand, which stands alone in the industry for its distinctive visual language and design ideals, he has proven why he is riding out on a high. His is a singular vision which he remained steadfast in, in an industry that pressures designers to change with the ebbs and flows of fluctuating markets and customer demands, but if there was ever a reason to remain steadfast in your creative vision, then todays swan song was it.
