Dive Brief:
- Julian Klausner has been promoted to creative director of Dries Van Noten, overseeing both the women’s and men’s collections, the brand’s holding company Puig announced Monday.
- Klausner succeeds the brand’s founder Dries Van Noten, who stepped down from the top design role at the end of June. At the time, Van Noten said he intended to stay involved in the brand.
- Klausner will present his first collection as creative director on March 5, 2025, per the release.
Dive Insight:
Van Noten’s departure marked another creative designer shakeup in 2024, with other luxury brands seeing their founding designers stepping down, including Phillip Lim and Alberta Ferretti.
In the release, Van Noten called Klauser a clear choice to take over after his departure.
“I have complete confidence in Julian’s creativity and vision,” Van Noten said. “...His deep understanding of the brand and its values will ensure a seamless transition and bright future.”
Klauser joined the brand in August 2018 and worked alongside Van Noten in designing and developing the brand’s women’s collections, according to the release. In his role as creative director, the company said Klausner will ensure that “the brand’s distinctive and strong identity remains at the forefront of his vision.”
Prior to joining Dries Van Noten, Klausner was a junior designer for Maison Margiela, according to his LinkedIn, following his graduation from La Cambre in Brussels.
“The incomparable legacy that Dries is leaving behind is monumental, serving as an endless source of precious inspiration,” Klausner said in the release. “I look forward to embarking on new ambitious challenges while honouring the heritage we all cherish.”
Van Noten’s last collection for the label was a menswear spring-summer 2025 collection, and the brand’s in-house studio design team produced the womenswear spring-summer 2025 collection. He founded the label in 1986.
Puig also owns Rabanne, Carolina Herrera, Charlotte Tilbury, Jean Paul Gaultier and Nina Ricci, as well as several beauty licenses.
In its most recent earnings report in October, the company saw revenue of 1.3 billion euros, or about $1.38 billion, a 11.1% year-over-year increase.
