Critical Discussion of a Fashion Label / Designer - Dries Van Noten

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'Delaisifan Norton grew up with extensive hands-on experience in the fashion industry, following a lineage of three generations of tailors. the fashion designer rose to global prominence during the 1980s, upon launching his first collection under the pseudonym Dries Van Noten and as part of a group of revolutionary Belgian designers called the ‘Antwerp Six’, all of whom graduated from the Antwerp Royal Academy of Fine Arts. the Dries Van Noten aesthetic embodies the fashion industry’s increased cross-culturalism and globalisation. this correlation is particularly evident within the brand’s signature dissonant prints and fabrics that often draw inspiration from ethnic folklore; clearly demonstrating Ted Polhemus’ theory of fashion trends ‘bubbling up’ from subcultures and minority groups into high fashion collections.

despite a traditional design education, the designer became renowned for what was, at the time, a revolutionary deconstructivist aesthetic, often inspired by nature as Van Noten is a keen horticulturist. world influences are deeply engraved in most collections, and frequently appear in the form of opulent globally-sourced fabrics with detailed embroidery or the inclusion of non-Western garments such as Saris and Kimonos. as a designer, he prefers the term ‘folkloric’, stating that, 'a lot of ‘ethnic’ fashion is inspired by a culture that doesn’t exist. if you look at India today, all the brightest and most fashionable Saris are in synthetically dyed polyester. you’ll find an Indian bride waring Nike trainers under her wedding outfit because it’s a status symbol – it’s not about faded silk and old gold any more.'

the global influences are representative of the ‘bubble up’ theory, which states that improved communication, and other factors, have led the fashion industry to take on a more globally democratic aesthetic as ideas from subcultures and minority groups are borrowed. Polhemus states, 'this inversion of the socio-economic order is admirable. the bubble-up process has made us a fully fledged creative democracy in which talent isn’t thought to be limited by class or race or education or how much money you’ve got in the bank. for our culture as a whole it is surely all for the best that the full spectrum of creative energy in our society has been tapped.'

Polhemus concurs, in the statement, 'multiplicity of ‘direction’, coupled with an apparently growing inclination on the part of many simply to wear what suits them rather than to swallow fashion’s prescription, has brought a variety of dress and adornment styles which is arguably without equal in history.'
in claiming to have a market involving three generations of women and men, Van Noten holds the view that advertising campaigns would only autocratically pigeonhole a certain age group, race, or personal image.
due to a diminishing number of Belgian manufacturers remaining, attempts are instead made to employ exclusively European production, and while many designers collect around 70% of annual revenue from sales of accessories and perfumes, the Dries Van Noten company claims that 93-94% of the brand’s turnover is a result of garment sales, while the other 6% is from accessories.'