The Dries Van Noten Fall/Winter 2025 Campaign showcasing the first collection under new creative director Julian Klausner is shot by in-demand photographer Carlijn Jacobs [IG]. The location of the ‘Behind the Curtain’ Campaign is Opéra Garnier, located in The Palais Garnier and commissioned by Napolean III for the Paris Opera and built from 1861 to 1875.

Katie Burnett styles the new campaign with models Ines Pottier, Yana Van Ginneken and more.

Julian Klausner Has Golden Opportunity

Opéra Garnier was also the location of Julian Klausner’s debut show. Writing for Vogue Runway, Nicole Phelps summed up Klausner’s debut within the context of the entire luxury fashion sector:

Klausner, who was named creative director in early December, following Van Noten’s retirement, has spent six years at the Belgian label and has learned by doing. The mission for him is different from that of the week’s other designers with debuts. He isn’t righting the wrongs of an interim guy to get the company back on track, as is Haider Ackermann’s task at Tom Ford. And he’s not going back to the beginning, as Sarah Burton has opted to do at Givenchy. Klausner has taken over the reins for one of fashion’s insider favorites, a maker of exceptional clothes for real life, recognizable on the runway and in the front rows. In many ways, he has the hardest job of them all, because of the industry’s affection for Van Noten and because he’s untested in this kind of leadership role.

AOC makes the frank admission that she falls into the camp of a Dries Van Noten lover for decades. Until today, she hadn’t even watched Klausner’s debut show featured in these images. Nor had she read the Vogue Runway review.

Watching the fashion show video for the first time, it was obvious immediately that the new Dries Van Noten collection embraced old Dries, but Klausner had also injected a new vibe into the collection that could only be his own.

Indeed, Klausner captured the grandeur of Opéra Garnier, while injecting a modern intellectualism and respect for decorum into his collection and campaign.

Dries Van Noten and Fashion Rituals

Spending hours in the last 24 reading the writing of others, I fear that ‘ritual’ is the new ‘duality’.

So many people complain about President Trump’s limited vocabulary, but fashion press is guilty of the same lack of inspired communications.

As I noted on Tuesday in a deep dive into the Prada Galleria bag campaign, the ancient history of rituals goes far deeper than the pursuit of shiny hair while admiring ourselves in the mirror.

Miuccia Prada can call a handbag a ‘totem’ because her intellectual capacity is well-established and we expect her to offer a new lens of examination of ideas. In forming a tight and productive relationship with Raf Simons, we all benefit from their 1+1=3 brainpower. We can imagine Simons relating to the Galleria bag as a totem.

Having watched us trivialize the concept of duality into nothingness, I sincerely hope we don’t put the word ‘ritual’ through the same meat grinder.

If AI gives you ‘ritual’ in your output — like the word ‘captivate’ — you have the option of choosing a fresh metaphor. At the very least, ask yourself if the integrity of the brand under discussion is deeply rooted for years — if not decades — in a track record of sustainability, ethical practices and slowing down to explore the values of a brand.

Just because a press release uses the word ‘ritual’, there is no need to buy into the vocab. And don’t replace it with ‘authentic’.

To the extent that rituals require us to slow down and reflect on ourselves and our clothes, the Dries Van Noten brand has been prompting us to slow down and reflect about the world around us for decades.

As early as 2004, the brand used biodegradable materials like wool, cotton, and silk in its collections. Dries Van Noten has collaborated with master craftspeople in India to create designs from sustainable luxury fabrics for decades, while communicating those values to Van Noten clients. Klausner can be expected to follow that lineage of business practices.

As Nicole Phelps noted for all of us, creative director Julian Klausner is not in fix-it mode at Dries Van Noten.

Turning to its majority owner, Puig delivered strong 2024 results, reaching revenue of €4.79 billion, an increase of 11.3% over 2023. Reported net profit rose 14.1% to €531 million. The company reduced its net debt by €442 million and is well-positioned for future growth in the view of financial analysts.

Klausner has a clear runway ahead — in a complex fashion world. Let’s watch for his next collection. ~ Anne