“ ‘Fashion’ is such an empty word.” — Dries Van Noten
As is stated by curator Geert Bruloot at the onset of DRIES—the Dries Van Noten documentary directed by Reiner Holzemer—this original member of the Antwerp Six remains an “artisanal designer,” bringing emotion and passion to a field overrun with indistinct “product.”
Van Noten is always looking, eyes wide open to a variety of influences, and a believer in the art of coincidences. Amid the beautiful, flowering brocades, Van Noten introduces what he calls “bad taste,” or “things that hurt the eye.”
“I need contrasts, I need tensions. I need a kind of clash in the collections.” — Van Noten
The film features Van Noten explicating several key runway shows, as well as a look into the visually rich home life Van Noten shares with his longtime partner Patrick Vangheluwe, both of them happily possessed by their possessions.
Also seen and heard from in the film: Iris Apfel, Pamela Golbin, Suzy Menkes, and Jane Birkin.
DRIES, Netflix.
Top: Dries Van Noten watching an exit.
Above: Ringenhof, the estate of Van Noten and Patrick Vangheluwe in Lier, Belgium.
Below: Van Noten (second from left) and his fellow Antwerp Six.
