Legendary designer Dries Van Noten stages his farewell show in Paris and retires from the fashion industry

PARIS – The curtain fell and the disco ball rose to celebrate 38 years and 150 collections by Dries Van Noten, who staged his final runway show at Paris Fashion Week on Saturday. The Belgian fashion maestro, a member of the influential “Antwerp Six” known for his innovative and unexpected elegance, announced his retirement in March this year.

Meanwhile, at Loewe, golden feathers fell over the models’ veiled faces as the show conjured myths and fashion whimsy, setting the stage for a more understated collection from Northern Irish designer Jonathan Anderson this season – one that nevertheless continued to mix fantasy with haute couture.

Here are some highlights from Saturday’s Spring 2025 men’s fashion shows:

Dries Van Noten’s last show

His departure marks the end of an era. To the sounds of Donna Summer’s “I Feel Love,” Dries Van Noten called his final curtain call in a warehouse in northern Paris in front of an 8-meter-high disco ball, at the top of a dazzling silver catwalk that had just served as the stage for his swan song – his 150th show.

Van Noten is one of the famous “Antwerp Six” designers, including Ann Demeulemeester, who all trained at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp in the early 1980s and had a significant impact on the global fashion world. His career, which has spanned five decades since his first menswear line in 1986, has been marked by a fusion of familiar and unfamiliar elements that give his collections a sense of surprise and poetry. He is revered throughout the fashion industry for his unique aesthetic.

It’s no wonder that fashion industry greats including Diane von Fürstenberg, Thom Browne and Pierpaolo Piccioli attended the event to celebrate his career.

Saturday night’s collection shone. It was a diverse presentation that loosely played on the theme of enveloping or revealing. Van Noten, known for his innovative use of fabrics and textures, presented plenty of disco-ready shine and shimmer.

It was all about the fabrics. He used semi-transparent, crinkled polyamide that resembles glass and “one-sided foils that shimmer between silver and gold like a liquid.” This inventive fabric manipulation resulted in a spring show that balanced fun and gritty styles – as thin strips of the delicate silver foil floated almost weightlessly through the air.

Van Noten also used a traditional Japanese marbling technique called suminagashi, which dates back 1,000 years. This method involves floating ink on water and then transferring it to material, creating unique, organic patterns. Here, leaf and flower prints resembled fireworks exploding against the night sky.

Throughout his career, Van Noten has been celebrated for his provocative nods to historical and subcultural references. This latest show was no exception, seamlessly integrating disco influences into his unique take on modern gender-neutral masculinity. A sheer, almost shabby pink trench coat captured the delicate silhouette of the male model’s bare arm in a subtle peek-a-boo trick.

Van Noten’s mastery of unexpected color combinations was also on display, including rich color combinations like a combination of pink with green and deep burgundy. His ability to juxtapose formal and casual attire – such as pairing elongated double-breasted suits with playful, shimmering pieces – underscored his signature style.

As the 66-year-old bids his final farewell, the fashion world looks back on the legacy of a designer who continually pushed boundaries, redefined elegance and brought an unmistakable Belgian touch to the world stage.

Feathers and costumes at Loewe

As always, there were plenty of poetic moments. A stiff sleeveless beaded vest and another that resembled armor and was almost sculptural in its presence shimmered like iridescent fish. Anderson’s talent for what he calls “collaged reality” was on display again in the spring, when he fused art content with high-end fashion.

Generous draping and ruffles on trousers and scarves spoke of sophisticated fashion design with elegantly sweeping curves, all with a light, minimalist touch. This was Anderson at his best, creating exaggerated, sculptural silhouettes that are now a hallmark of his time at Loewe. The deceptive lightness and fluidity of the cotton, wool and leather marked his ongoing exploration of materiality.

The tailored suit and trousers – a staple of office work – were touchstones that provided a stark contrast to the offbeat moments.

Here, too, the styles were treated with Anderson’s typical, unconventional eye and in loose, generous proportions.

Elongated belts were seen double-duty, and patent leather Oxford shoes would have been ready for Wall Street were it not for the fairy-tale-surreal long toes that Rumpelstiltskin could have worn. Was Anderson trying to evoke the daydream of a bored city worker? This fusion of the mundane and the fantastical is a trademark of Anderson. “Spring” was another example of his ability to use clothing as a medium to explore broader cultural themes and attract the it crowd, including actor Jeff Goldblum and film director Pedro Almodovar.

Pastels, microbacteria: Kiko Kostadinov

Asian crossover styles and sumptuous turban-like headpieces mixed with the buttons and epaulette details of the military uniform created a distinctly avant-garde vibe for fashion-forward designer Kiko Kostadinov’s latest collection. The nuanced incorporation of pastel colors, often in soft color blocks, gave the collection a vibrant yet subtle harmony that reflected Kostadinov’s talent for blending unusual elements.

The unusual pastel shades give this collection a special character. Kostadinov often uses bold tones to create eye-catching ensembles.

Other models featured high, round collars reminiscent of Star Trek, adding a futuristic touch. Kostadinov has a penchant for incorporating elements of science fiction and fantasy into his designs, as seen in previous collections inspired by film and book themes.

In fact, one look – a striking industrial-style jacket and trousers – featured surreal motifs of alien life forms or underwater creatures. These playful yet eerie details continued, resembling microscopic bacteria adorning a pastel-striped shirt and ’70s-style trousers.

White Mountaineering goes urban

Loose, slouchy silhouettes, functional details and layered looks set the mood from the start at White Mountaineering’s latest men’s fashion show. Designed by Yosuke Aizawa, a Tokyo-based designer who loves outdoor adventures and draws inspiration from the landscape of Nagano Prefecture, this brand embodies the fusion of urban and outdoor clothing, striking a balance between technical function and runway.

The collection began, appropriately, in white. Monochromatic approaches gave way to stripes, checks and camouflage, with geometric knits and even a colourful ’90s-style tie-dye look.

Factory-made beige overall onesies give this collection a young, funky vibe, while silky scarves and pretty collars add a touch of chic.

Aizawa, who divides his time between Tokyo and the wilds of Nagano, incorporates his passion for nature into his shows. His designs reflect his lifestyle, offering garments that are equally at home in the city as they are in the countryside.