Taking over as the new creative director at a heritage brand is never easy, but it could be hardest when taking over from one of fashion’s most cherished and trusted designers. When Dries Van Noten, the Belgian designer who launched a menswear label in 1986, announced his retirement, the fashion world launched into a spiral. Van Noten has spent the better part of 38 years quietly revolutionizing the wardrobes of the chic and artfully minded, with clashes of neon florals, preppy embroideries over grungy organza plaids, and always a dash of silver or gold. His warmth and optimism was, amongst gaudy — sometimes guileless — contemporary fashion, beyond beloved.
After a half-year search, the brand announces its new creative director: Julian Klausner.
A graduate of the La Cambre École Nationale Supérieure des Arts Visuels in Brussels, Klausner has worked at Dries Van Noten since 2018 on the womenswear collections. He’s Belgian, just like Dries, and a quick Google search shows pictures of him beside fellow Belgians Pieter Mulier (of Alaïa) and Matthieu Blazy (currently of Bottega Veneta, soon, if rumours are to be believed, of Chanel). He’s also, as a video by Lisa Vreeland distributed proves, the kind of studious, gentle designer that Dries himself is — and the two will share some office space as Van Noten continues to work on fragrance and other projects for the brand while Klausner will oversee all menswear and womenswear designs.
“I have complete confidence in Julian’s creativity and vision,” Van Noten wrote in a press release. “He is not only a talented designer, but also a clear choice to take over after my departure. His deep understanding of the brand and its values will ensure a seamless transition and a bright future.”
In advance of his January menswear collection, to be released in a lookbook, and his 5 March womenswear show, Klausner answered three questions for i-D.
Steff Yotka: What’s your first memory of the Dries Van Noten brand?
Julian Klausner: Even though I grew up in Belgium, Dries Van Noten always appeared to me as a very private and mysterious house: a sort of treasure box constantly delivering creativity in good taste, a subtle extravagance. The AW09 collection inspired by Francis Bacon is when I fell in love with the brand. The play on colour and proportions, a sort of timeless elegance with a strange edge to it.
SY: What is the greatest lesson you’ve learned from Dries himself?
JK: My most precious lesson working with Dries has been embracing accidents, keeping an open mind, and letting the process evolve naturally. Dries has such confidence in his taste that allows him to get out of his comfort zone and take risks. I admire him for staying calm and focused, and always treating people with respect.
SY: What can we expect from your first men’s and women’s shows?
JK: I am looking forward to finding my own voice. We’ve started working with the team on new directions. It’s about respecting the heritage, looking to the future, and embracing change. But more importantly it’s about being in the now, trusting the process, and taking things one step at a time.
