For Dries Van Noten Men’s Fall/Winter 2026, creative director Julian Klausner reflects on the idea of coming of age—not as something dramatic or romanticized, but as a quiet celebration of new beginnings. It’s about the unfolding of possibilities, the naivety and honesty of first experiments with identity, and the courage it takes to step outside the comfort zone.
The theme resonates deeply with Klausner’s own moment of transition. After eight years at the house, he stepped into the role of creative director following Dries Van Noten’s departure in March 2024. This collection feels personal, thoughtful, and grounded in emotional continuity rather than rupture.
The starting point is the school uniform—a familiar symbol of structure and growth. Tailored shorts, striped sweaters, and polo shirts evoke youth, while pointing to that in-between phase between adolescence and adulthood. According to Klausner, it’s a time marked by first tastes of independence: the pull between freedom and discovery on one side, and the need for comfort and familial security on the other.
That duality is expressed through the idea of packing one’s bags and leaving for the big city—Yo ga aketara (“When Dawn Breaks”). The clothes feel like companions brought along on that journey: comforters, souvenirs, and roots gathered from everywhere. A father’s coat, a mother’s florals, siblings’ scarves, a beloved jumper, a school jacket that’s been outgrown. A treasured parka. The familiar embrace of knitwear.
Knit is everywhere in the collection
Fully formed or subtly inserted—appearing in Fair Isle patterns, argyles, stripes, cables, and embroidered details. Blurred florals, printed as if lifted from Polaroids, soften the silhouettes and add a sense of memory and nostalgia. Geometric knit vests are layered over striped shirts, while quilted coats feature hazy floral motifs. Ties are worn with vinyl trench coats and tuxedo blazers, paired unexpectedly with knitted pajama pants.
The color palette moves away from last season’s solar brightness and into a more restrained, introspective range. Shades of grey, black, white, brown, and dark green dominate, balanced by washed-out tones of pink, blue, lavender, and yellow.
Klausner’s man also wears printed tank tops, clochard trousers with contrasting waistbands, satin-finish tops, and high-top sneakers. It’s a more playful, irreverent take on the Dries Van Noten customer—less concerned with classical elegance and more attuned to personal expression.
Designing for a house as revered as Dries Van Noten is no small task, but Klausner approaches it with confidence. By updating the maison’s codes while weaving in his own visual language, he delivers a collection that feels both respectful and refreshingly self-assured—a coming of age not just for the clothes, but for the designer himself.
