PFW AW25 - Dries Van Noten’s Team Designs Menswear

In December, Julian Klausner was promoted to take the reins of Dries Van Noten with the aim to showcase his first vision for the brand in March. Although this menswear collection is designed by the studio team, it is directed by him and is meant to be an initial perspective into the era Dries Van Noten will enter.

The collection lensed by Belgium’s own Willy Vanderperre is said to have been partly inspired by American author William S Burroughs’ book The Wild Boys : A Book of the Dead. The novel is about a group of hedonistic homosexual boys who aspire to take down western civilisation, much like a guerilla gang; set in the early 19th century. The famous book is also said to be the inspiration behind David Bowie’s character Ziggy Stardust. 

The shoot seems to have various backgrounds, providing an aesthetic shift in between looks. It transitions between a crew of castaways and the team’s version of the wild boys, clicked in a room before getting up to some shenanigans. In large coats were floral brooches with frilly collars, reminding me of the 50’s Ivy League aesthetic albeit in a European royalty way. 

The juxtaposition of the floral embroidery and feminine accoutrements alongside the rough fabrics and cuts creates a rich imagery. Dries Van Noten provided an inkling of what the vision for the brand is.

A picture was painted by the team, a uniform for the wild, courageous, bold and crazy. The coherence in design and direction between them and Julian was apparent, the viewer is compelled to wish for March to arrive sooner, to witness his design language mesh with the house codes.