Dries van Noten
Dries van Noten
Dries Van Notenis a Belgian fashion designer and an eponymous fashion brand. In 2005, the New York Times described him as "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. That same...
NationalityBelgian
ProfessionDesigner
CountryBelgium
I prefer ugly things. I prefer things which are surprising.
For me personally, there's too much fashion around in this world.
designer fashion grab morning night people pins romantic sketches start table throws vision white women
People get this very romantic vision of a fashion designer who in one night makes 25 sketches and in the morning throws them on the table and there are a lot of women in white aprons with the pins on the lapel and they start to grab the sketches and... It's not like that.
journeys less love prints takes
I love the journeys of research and discovery their development takes me on. I see prints as less 'decorative' than many might, and more fundamental to a garment's core.
color fan flower god middle present
I'm a very big fan of winter-flowering shrubs and bulbs. You have the smell, you have the color - it's really like a present from God when something like that is in flower in the middle of the snow.
My childhood was very, very, very, very traditional.
design
In the design process, there's a need to be culturally comprehensive.
book bring elements far fragment free happening image prefer
I like it when you have something happening by coincidence. Just something in a book is enough. But I prefer a fragment of an image so you are far more free to bring in elements of your own.
I'm known for color and prints and embroideries.
All my collections are very personal. It's also because I'm so involved in making the collections.
careful imagination stimulate time
Sometimes, to stimulate your imagination you have to be careful you don't have too much information. You can Google something, and it's in your face, pow! You don't have time to dream any more about it.
personally
I like to choose my own way forward. I really do want to create something that I personally like a lot.
hours lead produce quick time
When I get very stressed, I make jam. I like things that produce a quick result, because fashion has such a long lead time. With jam, you start, and two-three hours later, you have 36 little pots, all full.
car drive knees pants practical rubber wear whatever
When I have to do something fast, I wear the most unflattering rubber pants over my pants and a big easy sweater. I can get on my knees in the garden in whatever condition, and when I'm done, I can take it off, get in the car, and drive to the office. It's the most practical thing.