Julian Klausner, a 33-year-old Belgian who joined Dries Van Noten in 2018, is relatively unknown beyond the walls of its Antwerp, Belgium, headquarters. Photo: Dries Van Noten
A new creative power structure in fashion is beginning to emerge. Recently, five months after Dries Van Noten (the man) shocked the style world by retiring, Dries Van Noten (the brand) named Julian Klausner as its new creative director, elevating a longtime member of the design team to the top post.
Klausner will be in charge of both womenswear and menswear for the house, which is known for its relaxed silhouettes and dramatic melanges of colours and prints.
He will be one of eight designers making their debuts at global brands in 2025, an unprecedented number and one that signals a potential reshaping of the industry at a time when numerous luxury labels are in creative upheaval, the industry is struggling with slowing consumer sales, and gossip around who might be going where has reached a fever pitch.
The choice of an insider to run what Dries Van Noten’s owner, the Spanish group Puig, called in its 2023 annual report its “fastest-growing niche brand”, is a vote in favour of continuity rather than statement-making surprise.
Klausner, a 33-year-old Belgian who joined Dries Van Noten in 2018, two years after receiving a master’s degree from the fashion programme at La Cambre, a visual arts school in Brussels, is relatively unknown beyond the walls of its Antwerp, Belgium, headquarters.
Read more: 'Just too much': Designer Dries Van Noten on why he is retiring from fashion
He does not have a significant Instagram or TikTok presence, and there are no photographs of him online cozying up to celebrities.
What he does have, from his time as head of the brand’s women’s studio, is relationships with the design team and the confidence of the brand’s founder.
“Julian’s understanding of the brand’s heritage, forged through his years with Dries, makes him uniquely suited for this role,” said Marc Puig, CEO of the group. “His deep knowledge of the brand’s values has been cultivated over time, allowing for a thoughtful transfer of creative vision that both preserves Dries’ essence and pushes it forward.”
In a news release, Van Noten said Klausner was "a clear choice to take over" after his departure.
The designer was not in charge of his own succession plan, and in an interview with The New York Times before his last show in June, Van Noten expressed fears that someone might come in and try to completely alter the aesthetic he had created.
Presumably, that will not be the case with Klausner (besides, Van Noten will be around as a sort of elder statesman/adviser).
Read more: Dries Van Noten's swan song fashion show in Paris a dazzling affair
Klausner said he was “beyond thrilled” to be getting the job and that Van Noten had left behind a “monumental” legacy.
Still, it will be daunting to step into his shoes. Van Noten is one of fashion’s most beloved designers, and a man whose personal approach to design infused his work and forged a bond with a devoted customer base.
Klausner said that for him, Dries Van Noten stood for “the richness of life’s textures, where each garment tells a story of individuality”.
What exactly that means will be revealed during the Paris shows in February, when Klausner will show his first full collection as creative director.
Though Klausner was part of the design team that created the Dries Van Noten collection shown in September at Paris Fashion Week, a sort of greatest hits recap of the founder’s oeuvre, he did not determine its direction. Now he will. – ©2024 The New York Times Company
