What Happened to Dries Van Noten? The Retirement, the Successor and the House in 2026

The short answer: nothing has gone wrong. Dries Van Noten announced in March 2024 that he would step back from his label, showed his last collection in June 2024, and handed the design studio to Julian Klausner, who had worked beside him on womenswear since 2018. The house is still owned in majority by the Spanish group Puig, it is still opening shops, and the Autumn Winter 2026 collection is Klausner’s work. You can see it on the new Dries Van Noten page at Coveti, from the Loose lurex shirt in Khaki to the High buckled leather boots in Tan, and in our designer clothing edit.

The question gets asked a lot because the news arrived in pieces. First came the retirement letter, then a last show, then six months of silence about a successor, then a new name most shoppers had never heard. Add a fragrance line that kept his name in beauty halls and a new foundation in Venice, and it is easy to see why people wonder whether the label is closing. It is not. Here is what happened, in order.

Key facts

Why did Dries Van Noten retire?

He said so himself in the letter he published in March 2024: after nearly four decades, he wanted time for the things he had never had time for, and he wanted to hand over while the house was strong. There was no illness and no dispute with Puig. He kept a minority stake and an advisory role, mostly on the beauty side, where the fragrances and lipsticks launched in 2022 still carry his name. The full timeline is in our Dries Van Noten history, year by year.

Who designs Dries Van Noten now?

Julian Klausner, a Belgian designer trained at La Cambre in Brussels, who joined the studio in 2018 and designed womenswear with the founder for six years before the title changed. That matters more than any press release. The method is the one the house has used since the 1990s: start with the cloth, print from paintings and archives, weave the pattern in as jacquard, treat embroidery as part of the fabric. What Klausner has added is surface that moves, lurex stripes, moiré, overdyed cotton, and a looser, more youthful line. We profile him in Julian Klausner at Dries Van Noten.

Is Dries Van Noten shutting down?

No. The reverse is true. Under Puig the house has been opening stand-alone shops, with London and Tokyo in 2025 alongside the original Het Modepaleis in Antwerp and the Paris shops on the Quai Malaquais. The womenswear and menswear still show in Paris every season, the beauty line is sold worldwide, and new deliveries arrive several times a year. The rumour seems to come from the retirement headlines, which many readers took to mean the end of the label rather than the end of one man’s tenure.

What is Dries Van Noten doing now?

Building a foundation. Fondazione Dries Van Noten, set up with his partner Patrick Vangheluwe, opened on 25 April 2026 in Palazzo Pisani Moretta, a fifteenth-century palazzo on the Grand Canal in Venice. The first exhibition, The Only True Protest Is Beauty, ran until 4 October 2026 and set fashion beside painting, glass, ceramics and photography, more than 200 works chosen by Van Noten himself. Anyone who has worn the clothes will recognise the approach, unlike things placed side by side. A second Venice site is planned.

Why is Dries Van Noten so popular?

Because the clothes look like nobody else’s and they last. A Dries Van Noten piece starts from a fabric the house has had made, a jacquard, an embroidery, a print taken from a painting, and the cut stays easy so the cloth can lead. The brand also never advertised, so its reputation was built by the people who wore it, editors, artists, architects, and by a resale market that holds its value. We explain the quality case in is Dries Van Noten a luxury brand, and who wears it in who wears Dries Van Noten.

What the new collection looks like

Autumn Winter 2026 is Klausner’s clearest statement yet. Plaid comes back in lurex, on the Loose lurex shirt in Khaki, a check shirt shot through with metal thread. Floral double-dye jacquard turns up as a cocoon top, the Jacquard cocoon top in Ocra, and as the Jacquard slip dress in Light Green. The Pixel embroidered pencil skirt in Black turns a Flemish flower painting into sequin pixels. The shoes are the strongest the house has made in years: the Buckled leather boots in Tan, square-toed with a block heel, and the Heeled leather loafers in Tan, both in hand-shaded calf leather. For the full picture, read our Dries Van Noten Autumn Winter 2026 edit.

Our picks from the new arrivals

1. Loose lurex shirt in Khaki

Viscose, silk and lurex in a khaki and green check, with patch pockets and buttoned cuffs. The house’s version of the plaid shirt, cut loose enough to wear open over a tee.

2. Pixel embroidered pencil skirt in Black

Black crepe, low on the waist, with a still life rendered in gold bullion and sequin squares. If one piece from this collection ends up in the archive books, we think it is this one.

3. High buckled leather boots in Tan

Over-the-knee calf leather with a side zip and a single buckle at the ankle, on a 60 mm block heel. Made in Italy.

4. Long sleeve cotton tee in White

Midweight cotton jersey with a Flemish Fruits print on the chest, and the most affordable way into the new collection.

Frequently asked questions

Did Dries Van Noten retire?

Yes. He announced it in March 2024, showed his last collection in June 2024 and keeps a minority stake and an advisory role, mostly in beauty.

Who is the creative director of Dries Van Noten?

Julian Klausner, named in December 2024. He joined the house in 2018 and designed womenswear with the founder for six years.

Is Dries Van Noten going out of business?

No. Puig owns the majority of the house, new shops opened in London and Tokyo in 2025, and the collections still show in Paris every season.

Who owns Dries Van Noten?

The Spanish fashion and fragrance group Puig, which bought a majority stake in 2018. The founder kept a minority holding.

What is the Fondazione Dries Van Noten?

A cultural foundation set up by Dries Van Noten and Patrick Vangheluwe in Palazzo Pisani Moretta, Venice. It opened on 25 April 2026.

Is Dries Van Noten still good after the founder left?

Yes. The studio, the mills and the method are the same, and the new designer worked inside the house for six years before taking over.