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i left my heart in 02 Dries...
Thank you so much for sharing :flowers:
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Thanks for the scans!The Telegraph, KolkataDries Van Noten shot to fame in 1986 as part of the famous antwerp six and has ruled the runway roost ever since. the Belgian star designer, who is in town today for a private dinner hosted by Vibha and Rajat Kejriwal, responds to queries from t2 over email
India is a big part of your design sensibility. What is your first impression of India and how has it changed over the last few decades?Since my first collection, I’ve used elements from all over the world, India included. I’m really fascinated by other cultures, other dress codes and some of my collections had been inspired by culture yet still remain the fruit of my imagination, an interpretation. What has been beautiful for me in my relationship with the Indian craftspeople who assist me in producing my collections over the years is that, with time, there has been a great evolution in the expression of what we produce. There is no pressure nor necessity that what we collaborate on seems “Indian”… It can, should we wish it to, yet it also and increasingly is more widely referenced.Indian designers idolise you. What do you want to say to them? Thank you for your support and belief and keep up your good and important work! There is a place for your creative voice in the world.Antwerp, Hong Kong, Tokyo, Paris, Singapore, Dubai… When will Dries Van Noten come to India?There are no immediate plans for a Dries Van Noten shop yet. Everything in its own time!Men’s collection: Autumn-Winter 2004-05
What were your first feelings after being awarded International Designer of the Year 2008 by the Council of Fashion Designers of America? Though I felt very honoured there was also something mildly intimidating in the responsibility it brought along!Your accessories have reached the most coveted list but do you believe in the ‘it’ phenomenon? “It” can be just that... IT! Yet, we prefer “Also” to “IT”, we prefer that accessories remain just that… accessories.How would you describe a Dries Van Noten woman or man? My creations are not addressed to one type of men or women. I propose many possibilities of wearing garments but never wish to impose. I let the wearer create their own expression in mixing my garments with those of their wardrobe or other labels. Authenticity and the individuality of a personal style is paramount.Women’s collection: Autumn-Winter 2003-04
You are known never to advertise. When and what prompted you to make that decision and stick with it? It was a decision born more from budgetary necessity than strategy at the time. And it remains so today.How important is it in the West to have celebrities wearing your creations? Does it give them an edge, considering you are known as one of the most cerebral designers?It can be important from a marketing point of view, yet we are more interested in touching other creative people with our work for the creative exchange that it fosters than simply due to their fame as “celebrities”.Your Paris shows are always spectacular. Why and how did this trend begin? Is it okay that the drama contradicts your design rather than complement it?Fashion shows are the way to express myself. For me, fashion shows are far more than just models and clothes. I see them as a theatre where many elements are mixed together to create a unique atmosphere and define a specific message. From the very beginning we have always tried to do something different. We attempt to convey emotion, not just in the clothing but also at a visual level. Fashion shows will always remain the privileged method for me to express what I have worked on for each collection. I find great pleasure in their conception and putting them into practice. At the end of it all, there is something to be said for witnessing the moment when all the effort put into them comes off as well as you hoped.And, lastly, what do you love most about India? The beauty and serenity of its people and the vastness and intimacy of its land!
Loved reading that interview 
FASHION ICON: DRIES VAN NOTEN
The legendary Belgian designer gives Dazed Digital a rare interview, talking about independence, fashion muses and growing up in the 1970s.
Dries Van Noten’s exotic, yet coolly chic designs, have been a consistent highlight of the seasonal runways ever since he set up his eponymous label in London in 1986—putting his home country of Belgium firmly on the fashion map, alongside Walter Van Beirendonck, Ann Demeulemeester and Dirk Bikkembergs as part of the game-changing Antwerp Six collective. Inducted into the fashion game early on (Dries' father was a prominent shopkeeper, his grandfather was a tailor), he has remained at the forefront of the industry by never compromising his creative vision (his company has remained independent throughout the course of his two decades in the business) nor catering to passing fads. Dazed Digital caught up with him to pick his brains.
Dazed Digital: Which person has inspired you most in your work?
Dries Van Noten: The list is extremely long. Various different people have inspired me throughout my career. From Francis Bacon to Vassareli, Coco Chanel to Christian Dior, Cecil Beaton, musicians, architects… the list is endless. When we were studying at the Royal Antwerp Academy we were taught to seek inspiration from everyone, everything and everywhere. My parents and grandparents were also a great inspiration for me a very young age.
DD: Is simplicity important to you?
Dries Van Noten: Absolutely. I think that it’s a necessity in life. Working in fashion, the maelstrom of colour, fabric and collections that one puts a lot of thought into, incites a reflex for a need for simplicity. This is why I find respite at home in Antwerp in my house and garden, where things are calm and relaxed.
DD: Would you say you’re more of a conceptualist or a romantic?
Dries Van Noten: I’d say both! I’m not sure that either are mutually exclusive. I hope that as a contemporary fashion designer, one does not have to automatically align oneself to either school. I’m sure people would be more inclined to view me as a romantic and although I appreciate this, I hope to shake their perception from time to time.
DD: Your latest men’s collection is inspired by mods and skinheads—what part do youth and adolescence play in your designs?
Dries Van Noten: I wouldn’t say it is directly inspired by these movements rather than taking a nod in their direction. In the design process there’s a need to be culturally comprehensive. Younger people tend to be more obvious in showing their creativity through clothing, hairstyles and their appearance. It’s the earnestness and naivity of youth that inspires. On other occasions, our design process can easily be borne from something non-youth related and be found in anything from a reading, photo to a piece of music for example.
DD: Have you had to struggle to stay independent?
Dries Van Noten: Yes. Though, the ‘price’ has been worth paying. We never sought a partnership throughout the history of the company. I do think however that if there was ever a time we may have even considered a partnership would have been that moment in the 90’s when the big groups were buying everybody up. An interesting moment indeed, but one that I’m glad we were able to get through. That was the fortunate thing having been auto-financed from the very beginning. We never really needed to think about it. This independence and liberty meant I was, and still am, able to grow as I wish and to do exactly what I want in a creative sense. It leads me to be able to really do my best to bring out a different personality in each collection that I produce.
DD: You had a pretty fashion-heavy childhood. Was there any ever question of going into another industry?
Dries Van Noten: Not to my knowledge ever.
DD: Any teenage fashion disasters you care to mention?
Dries Van Noten: I was a teenager in the 70s, it was one big disaster!
DD: Your stores are all very carefully curated—do you think you have your father’s salesman gene, despite yourself? And are you ever tempted to go into interiors?
Dries Van Noten: I think by my father owning a store, I was definitely aware of the commercial aspect of selling clothes. His shop was a place I enjoyed spending time in as a boy, so I learned things almost by osmosis at times, by literally just being around all the action and not really despite myself. As for our stores, my passion for art, antiques and architecture is that strong that it just made sense to go in that direction with our boutiques. As for going into interiors on a permanent basis, I think that in opening more and more stores around the world, my appetite is sufficiently whet for that aspect of my career for now.
DD: Where do you feel most at home?
Dries Van Noten: Guess where...
DD: A print you wish you’d designed?
Dries Van Noten: There are simply too many and of so many styles, ethnic, modern etc. I find it impossible to answer.
DD: Can you give as a hint about what’s coming up for Spring 2011 womenswear?
Dries Van Noten: A nod towards our men’s collection for the same season and a wink of… Well, let’s see!
still has a baby face and head full of curly hair 
