This past June, Dries Van Noten presented his final runway show for his eponymous label, with a glimmering silver foil runway and enormous disco ball – which appeared at the end of the finale – punctuating the end of a 38-year-long career in fashion. ‘I love my job, I love doing fashion shows, and sharing fashion with people,’ he said at the time. ‘Creating is about leaving something that lives on. My sense of this moment is how it is not only mine, but ours, always.’
Now, after a womenswear show this past September created by an in-house team, Dries Van Noten the label has announced the designer’s successor, ending months of speculation. Promoting from the inside, it is Julian Klausner, a longtime member of the Dries Van Noten design team, who will take over as creative director. The move suggests a smooth transition, with Dries Van Noten – which is known for rich fabrications, a broad use of colour, and an oftentimes unconventional evocation of beauty – likely continuing to build on the distinct aesthetic honed by its namesake designer.
