Dries Van Noten: “For me, people who call themselves 'influencers' aren't really 'influencers'”

The Belgian designer Dries Van Noten (Antwerp, 64 years old), the most famous and successful of the Antwerp Six, built his fashion empire by strictly following two unspoken rules: stay independent and not advertise.

In 2018 he broke the two by selling his company to Puig, the Spanish group that has brands such as Carolina Herrera, Jean Paul Gaultier, Nina Ricci and Paco Rabanne.

Van Noten is still the creative director of the firm he founded in 1986 and continues to work with his usual team, but he has taken a giant leap.

Four years after announcing his alliance with Puig, he has launched his first line of fragrances and lipsticks, and is already preparing a collection of products for the face, eyes and nails, and another of accessories.

Fleur du Mal, one of the 10 fragrances created by designer FE PINHEIRO

Everyone wins with this deal.

Nearly 90% of Puig's business comes from perfumes and cosmetics, so with this acquisition it takes another step in fashion.

94% of the Belgian firm's business derives from the sale of clothing and with this alliance it enters the multimillion-dollar world of fragrances and accessories on the right foot.

“A few years ago I began to ask myself questions: 'Who will take care of my legacy when I'm gone?

Who will continue my work?'

It is very difficult to be an independent designer these days, you need allies.

I had the dream of making fragrances and beauty products and of expanding into

commerce , and I didn't want to do it alone", explains Van Noten in conversation with

from her home on the outskirts of Antwerp, where she lives with her partner, Patrick Vangheluwe, and their dog Scott.

“Fashion is changing very fast, and if you want to grow and evolve, you have to take new steps,” she acknowledges.

Van Noten has come up with 30 shades of lipsticks.

The cases are refillable.

Everything has changed in the Van Noten house, although nothing has really changed.

The garden of her home has been the starting point for the creation of the 10 perfumes that bear her name.

“The smell of flowers after the rain is part of my childhood,” she says.

Regarding makeup, she has always been involved in choosing the aesthetics of the models for her shows.

“And I have more than 100

behind me,” she clarifies.

For this reason, this collection of fragrances and lipsticks is a continuation of his

.

The juxtaposition of materials, patterns and textures of the bottles and vials reflect his aesthetic codes: the impossible combinations, the counterpoints and the contrasts.

“I like to create clashes and mixes,” he says.

Cannabis Patchouli perfume combines the fresh green leaves of sage with the woody ones of patchouli;

Voodoo Chile condenses the opposing forces of rosemary and patchouli, and Neon Garden shakes up iris root with a hit of mint.

Presentation of the autumn-winter 1992-1993 collection in Paris, in January 1992.Victor Virgile (Getty Images)

Van Noten's other great source of pride is that he has succeeded in creating a sustainable beauty line.

The bottles and cases are refillable and are made with recyclable materials: paper, glass, aluminum... The fragrances have 85% ingredients of natural origin, and the 30 shades of lipsticks are "free of animal cruelty".

The designer has many plans with Puig, but he is clear that he will never sacrifice his identity or creative integrity.

He looks with interest at social media and the media overexposure of other designers — “many are building their business around this” — but he's not going to fall for it.

“Do I have to understand?

If I have to do it?

No. Now brands are putting

in the front row of their shows.

I respect traditional journalists too much to do that.

For me, people who call themselves

are not really

”, sentence.

The new Dries Van Noten is the old Van Noten.

“I am still passionate about dressing people.

That will not change.

I will make more bags, more shoes and more perfumes, but clothes will continue to be my priority”.

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