The celebrated Belgian dressmaker Dries Van Noten has retired on the age of 66, after announcement Earlier this yr, he announced that he would step down after his menswear show at Paris Fashion Week in June, bringing to an end a groundbreaking profession spanning nearly 40 years.
Celebrated for his eclectic mixtures of high and low culture prints and patterns, comparable to a Collection inspired by Francis Baconand oversized pop prints by Marilyn MonroeVan Noten taught a complete generation to work boldly with colours and concepts.
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His designs were an almost impossibly coordinated mix of avant-garde aesthetics and practical wearability, often with an inexplicably harmonious hodgepodge of cultural references and historical allusions. From references to Italian poet Gabriele D'Annunzio to inspiration from Stanley Kubrick's masterpiece A Clockwork Orange, the Belgian designer all the time managed to create intellectually stimulating and visually arresting clothing as art.
Born in Antwerp in 1958, Van Noten was the third generation of a family of tailors. His early exposure to fashion and textiles inspired him to enroll in the style design course on the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Belgium, a prestigious institution that has produced a lot of influential designers.
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After graduating in 1981, his debut collection in 1986 was well received and quickly earned him a popularity for a singular aesthetic that combined traditional craftsmanship with modern innovation. In the Nineteen Nineties, he became a key member of the “Antwerp Six“, a gaggle of Belgian designers including Ann Demeulemeester and Walter Van Beirendonck who put their city on the worldwide fashion map.
Van Noten has presented collections at Paris Fashion Week yearly since 1993. He was originally a part of a Nineteen Nineties design movement that challenged the traditional fashion narrative of the time. His work told emotional stories and used fashion to explore themes comparable to identity, culture and history.
Van Noten was a purveyor of thought-provoking pieces. On his runways, he combined elegant conceptualism – the notion that the concept is at the center of the design process – with the totally unexpected, comparable to his fiftieth collection in 2015, which was presented on a room-length dining table under a row of chandeliers. Inspired by John Everett Millais' OpheliaHis spring/summer collection was presented under dim golden light, with models walking down a moss-covered catwalk and eventually sitting down on it in an unforgettable, Pre-Raphaelite, dreamlike finale.
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An enduring legacy
Van Noten stood out in the style world in some ways. As a Belgian designer who built a successful fashion company for a worldwide audience, he created fashion beyond conventional fabric styles and imagery. His work exemplified a classy, thoughtful approach that resonated with discerning fashion followers all over the world.
The next generation of fashion designers can learn so much from Van Noten's work. His commitment to craftsmanship and ethical practices resonates with modern audiences. He demonstrated this through his meticulous attention to detail, using intricate patterns and cuts that seamlessly blended cultural and historical references. Van Noten ensured that his brand maintained prime quality and ethical standards, setting a benchmark for others within the industry.
In the documentation Dries (2017), Pamela Goblin, curator of the first solo exhibition about him on the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris in 2014, brilliantly summed up Van Noten's ability to mix ideas. “His way of looking at things is without hierarchy, whether it's fine art or pop art, pop culture or high culture. He looks at them with the same eye, the same passion, the same curiosity.”
He drew inspiration from art, literature and travel, and his eclecticism is reflected in his collections, which regularly feature a fusion of prints, patterns and textures, making a wealthy visual tapestry.
His show in Paris in June was the eagerly awaited culmination of 38 years, 150 collections and 129 shows. The press release His last show began with “There is no beginning and no end,” expressing the tone of timelessness that’s so characteristic of his designs.
The runway was adorned with delicate silver leaves that scattered as models walked by. The collection showcased Van Noten’s classic tailoring and complex prints, this time using a standard Japanese marbling technique called Suminagashi this made every bit unique. After Van Noten's departure, a curtain fell to disclose a large disco ball accompanied by the sounds of Donna Summer, signaling that the party was removed from over.
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Van Noten's brand became synonymous with quality and innovation, and fashion enthusiasts all over the world eagerly awaited his collections. His ability to remain true to his vision while evolving with the times made him a revered figure in the style industry.
Whether he was experimenting with recent fabrics, exploring different cultural references, or producing incredible fashion shows, Van Noten's vision was all the time modern and forward-thinking. His contributions to the style world have left a long-lasting impression, and his pioneering spirit will probably be remembered and influence young designers for years to return.
image credit : theconversation.com