Dries van Noten
Encyclopedia
Dries Van Noten is a Belgian fashion designer and an eponymous fashion brand. In 2005, the New York Times described him "one of fashion's most cerebral designers". His style is said to be "eccentric", and fell out of favor during the long period of minimalistic
fashion in the early 1990s, only to make a come back towards the mid 2000s, culminating with Van Noten's winning of the International Award of the Council of Fashion Designers of America
in 2008. On the same year, he dressed actress Cate Blanchett
for the Academy Awards
.
Van Noten was born into a family of garment makers and traders: his father owned a menswear shop and his grandfather was a tailor. He graduated from the Antwerp Academy in 1980, and began his career in 1986, when he presented his first menswear collection in London
as part of the The Antwerp Six
collective. That led to a small order from Barneys New York
, a store that still stocks his merchandise regularly. Van Noten currently creates four collections a year (men's and women's, both for summer and winter).
The brand does not offer haute couture
; all of its designs are ready to wear and available at retail
: "'I'm a little naive but I don't like the idea of showing things that you don't sell in a store", said Van Noten in a recent interview. His work is said to be characterized by use of prints, colors, original fabrics and layering. He does not advertise.
While Dries Van Noten works and lives in Antwerp, the brand has shops in multiple locations worldwide. The first, opening in Antwerp in 1989, was "Het Modepaleis". Shop openings in Hong Kong
and Tokyo
followed. In early 2007, a shop was opened in Paris, decorated with antiques collected by Van Noten and his partner Patrick Vangheluwe, followed ten months later by a shop in Singapore
. The brand is also said to be carried in some 400 fashion shops around the world. As the brand is a private company, not much is known about its financial affairs, although it claims to have annual sales of some 30 million euro
.
Van Noten and Vangheluwe reside in a nearly seven acre
house outside of Antwerp, where Van Noten exercises his passion for gardening.
Minimalism
Minimalism describes movements in various forms of art and design, especially visual art and music, where the work is set out to expose the essence, essentials or identity of a subject through eliminating all non-essential forms, features or concepts...
fashion in the early 1990s, only to make a come back towards the mid 2000s, culminating with Van Noten's winning of the International Award of the Council of Fashion Designers of America
Council of Fashion Designers of America
The Council of Fashion Designers of America, Inc. is a not-for-profit trade association of over 350 of America’s foremost fashion and accessory designers. As of 2009, Diane von Fürstenberg is the group's President and Steven Kolb is the Executive Director...
in 2008. On the same year, he dressed actress Cate Blanchett
Cate Blanchett
Catherine Élise "Cate" Blanchett is an Australian actress. She came to international attention for her role as Elizabeth I of England in the 1998 biopic film Elizabeth, for which she won British Academy of Film and Television Arts and Golden Globe Awards, and earned her first Academy Award...
for the Academy Awards
2008 Academy Awards
2008 Academy Awards may refer to:* 80th Academy Awards, the Academy Awards ceremony which took place in 2008* 81st Academy Awards, the 2009 ceremony honoring the best in film for 2008...
.
Van Noten was born into a family of garment makers and traders: his father owned a menswear shop and his grandfather was a tailor. He graduated from the Antwerp Academy in 1980, and began his career in 1986, when he presented his first menswear collection in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
as part of the The Antwerp Six
Antwerp Six
The Antwerp Six refers to a group of influential avant garde fashion designers who graduated from Antwerp's Royal Academy of Fine Arts between 1980-1981. At the Academy they were taught by Linda Loppa. The fashion collective presented a distinct, radical vision for fashion during the 1980s that...
collective. That led to a small order from Barneys New York
Barneys New York
Barneys New York is a chain of luxury department stores headquartered in New York City. The chain owns large stores in New York City, Beverly Hills, Boston, Chicago, San Francisco, Dallas, Las Vegas, and Scottsdale, and smaller stores in other locations across the United States.Brands sold include...
, a store that still stocks his merchandise regularly. Van Noten currently creates four collections a year (men's and women's, both for summer and winter).
The brand does not offer haute couture
Haute couture
Haute couture refers to the creation of exclusive custom-fitted clothing. Haute couture is made to order for a specific customer, and it is usually made from high-quality, expensive fabric and sewn with extreme attention to detail and finished by the most experienced and capable seamstresses,...
; all of its designs are ready to wear and available at retail
Retail
Retail consists of the sale of physical goods or merchandise from a fixed location, such as a department store, boutique or kiosk, or by mail, in small or individual lots for direct consumption by the purchaser. Retailing may include subordinated services, such as delivery. Purchasers may be...
: "'I'm a little naive but I don't like the idea of showing things that you don't sell in a store", said Van Noten in a recent interview. His work is said to be characterized by use of prints, colors, original fabrics and layering. He does not advertise.
While Dries Van Noten works and lives in Antwerp, the brand has shops in multiple locations worldwide. The first, opening in Antwerp in 1989, was "Het Modepaleis". Shop openings in Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
and Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
followed. In early 2007, a shop was opened in Paris, decorated with antiques collected by Van Noten and his partner Patrick Vangheluwe, followed ten months later by a shop in Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
. The brand is also said to be carried in some 400 fashion shops around the world. As the brand is a private company, not much is known about its financial affairs, although it claims to have annual sales of some 30 million euro
Euro
The euro is the official currency of the eurozone: 17 of the 27 member states of the European Union. It is also the currency used by the Institutions of the European Union. The eurozone consists of Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg,...
.
Van Noten and Vangheluwe reside in a nearly seven acre
Acre
The acre is a unit of area in a number of different systems, including the imperial and U.S. customary systems. The most commonly used acres today are the international acre and, in the United States, the survey acre. The most common use of the acre is to measure tracts of land.The acre is related...
house outside of Antwerp, where Van Noten exercises his passion for gardening.