4 Fashion Insiders On Dries Van Noten’s Collectible and Iconic SS25 Collection
As Dries Van Noten took his final bow as creative director, his SS25 collection cemented his legacy. But what comes next for the brand he built? Here, four devotees of Dries Van Noten share their thoughts on this historic collection, why his designs have always been collector’s items, and what they hope to see in the brand’s exciting new chapter
Dries Van Noten held his first Paris runway show back in 1991. On June 22, 2024, he unveiled his last. After more than three decades delivering his signature, highly saturated colors and spirit-raising prints in fluid, timeless silhouettes, the time came for Van Noten to step back and appoint a new designer at his namesake brand. His lucky successor is 33-year-old Belgian designer Julian Klausner, who has worked alongside Van Noten on the women’s collections since 2018 and, as creative director, will oversee the men’s collection, too.
Van Noten took his final bow in June last year with his men’s SS25 collection, a spellbinding show of genderless designs – an exclusive edit of which is available at NET-A-PORTER and MR PORTER now. Here, we caught up with four fashion insiders and long-time Dries Van Noten customers to discover why this collection is so collectible and iconic, and to hear what they’re excited to see in this bright new chapter for the brand…
Caroline Issa, publisher and consultant
“Dries Van Noten has always managed to walk the chicest line between fantasy and reality – pairing khaki pants with an embellished sequinned top – and would use the most amazing fabrics that could elevate the simplest-shaped dress. He really set a standard for lifetime wardrobe pieces.
“So much of his brand language is in this final collection – a symphony of his greatest all-time hits – the trench, the khaki pant, the impeccable tailoring and the gorgeous floral prints. I’m partial to a bit of tailoring and his double-breasted jacket can be paired with a bias-cut silk skirt and a sharp wide-legged pant; or simply to sling over the shoulders over a flared dress – it’s so versatile.
“I have the best tailored pair of khakis from Dries Van Noten, which I somehow wear every week. They aren’t dad-like because of their cut, but they are in a sturdy cotton that is hard-wearing and slightly utilitarian – I bought them years ago and will have them forever.
“I hope that the brand will continue to deliver beautiful clothing and accessories to invest in and pair with your closet for a lifetime – to ensure that the whimsy and romance is still sitting alongside the structured and old-school tailoring techniques.”
“Clothes carry energy… and Dries Van Noten has truly always cared about how he wants women to feel while wearing his clothes
”Amanda Murray
Amanda Murray, creative consultant
“I love many things about Dries Van Noten but most of all I have always loved how his clothes make me feel about myself – and a lot of that I truly believe comes from his consideration and care for his clients. Clothes carry energy and it starts with the designer’s intentions; and Dries has truly always cared about how he wants women to feel while wearing his clothes.
“His final collection felt like an honest and gracious palette cleanser. It was very much like ‘this is where I leave you’. The embroidered military coat is my favorite from the collection; it’s a Dries signature – the graceful androgyny of it all. I’d style it with my vintage Levi’s by day and over a silk slip dress with his jacquard pants for the evening.
“I have so many Dries Van Noten pieces in my closet – more than any other designer – but I think the pieces I love the most are the pieces I wore when I first met him. I had mixed a few pieces from different collections, and he was so happy to see that. Someone from his team mentioned to me that my outfit really pleased him and that he’s asked if I was famous. I can’t wait to tell my kids that story one day… Dries Van Noten thought I was famous – it always makes me chuckle.”
“Dries Van Noten is a wizard with color, a maestro with pattern, an expert in contrast. Yet none of it feels contrived
”Camille Freestone
Camille Freestone, freelance writer and editor
“I don’t think of Dries as a cog in the fashion machine. While so many other designers pander to fleeting trends, Van Noten seems to orbit outside the industry rat race; a collection from 2013 is still relevant today in 2025.
“He’s a wizard with color, a maestro with pattern, an expert in contrast. Yet none of it feels contrived.
“Look 38 from his final collection embodies so much of what I love about the brand. Not only are the pieces themselves beautiful (I will dream about that gauzy pink trench), but the unexpected clash of candy pink with utilitarian khaki is sumptuous.
“Dries Van Noten never looks like anything else. I sincerely hope it can retain that sense of spirit and individuality.”
“I admire Dries because he has created his own very unique visual language – one that is hard to pin down in words but that is immediately recognizable
”Hikari Yokoyama
Hikari Yokoyama, art curator
“When I think of Dries Van Noten, I don’t think of it as a brand, I think of it first and foremost as great fashion design. It has always stood out against the grain because it is simply about exquisitely crafted clothes that look really good on the body. I admire Dries because he has created his own very unique visual language – one that is hard to pin down in words but that is immediately recognizable.
“In his final collection, I was really intrigued by his use of suminagashi, a Japanese traditional marbling technique where the pigment sits on water before being absorbed by the surface (fabric). One can tell he discovered an ancient technique that he could utilize to form a new lens for approaching his ongoing passion for color and print. I love that it always feels like he is creatively exploring but his parameters of what is ‘good’ are also quite narrow under his eye. I loved the use of sheer fabrics that created this kind of shimmering, ghostly layering on top of other more straightforward pieces.
“These fluid yet totally iconic and show-stopping pieces would look good layered in a variety of ways. Dries Van Noten pieces are also wonderful to dress up and dress down – a heel or a flat sandal can completely change how an individual piece reads in a look.
“As with every new designer, I hope that new creative director Julian Klausner will find his own voice and his own vision within the brand codes; but also keep the values and ethos of the brand aligned with those of the long-term loyal followers.”