The air was thick with a mix of sombre resignation and a palpable sense of excitement on 22 June 2024. Right on the outskirts of Paris, beloved Belgian fashion designer Dries Van Noten was about to stage his Spring/Summer 2025 menswear runway show—his final. Thirty-eight years, 150 collections and 129 shows later, Van Noten was prepared to take his final bow.

That the show venue, a stunningly rundown defunct factory, was also the location of his still memorable 50th runway show was not lost on longtime fans of the Antwerp Six member. I asked a PR rep if Van Noten was set to recreate the same Spring/Summer 2005 womenswear show where the runway was essentially a long dinner table. “Not at all. But it will be very special,” he said. But of course; I should’ve known better. Van Noten’s oeuvre has rarely been about looking back. His deft use of colours, prints and textures have been stylistically refreshing collection after collection, and while he dealt with both menswear and womenswear, the former became a blueprint of how men choose to dress.

The physical show invite was simple: “LOVE” printed on a silver foil card. And there was plenty of it going around. Pre-show cocktails revolved around a massive cube onto which Van Noten’s illustrious moments were projected. As the crowd streamed in, I began noticing the wonderful array of Dries Van Noten archives that accompanied them, each interpreted in one’s own sense of style. And while it was a given that editors from around the world had congregated, so too had Van Noten’s contemporaries and fellow designers. At one corner was Diane von Furstenberg chatting with Derek Blasberg, Pierpaolo Piccioli arrived together with Haider Ackermann, Harris Reed’s imposing figure was hard to ignore, Thom Browne was in classic Thom Browne, and of course there were fellow Antwerp Six members Ann Demeulemeester and Walter Van Beirendonck.

Van Noten made his rounds after a while. Together with his partner, Patrick Vangheluwe, he greeted and thanked guests for their attendance, both visibly touched by the quietly deafening awe and respect that permeated through. They say to “never meet your heroes” but I took the opportunity to ask for a photo together.

“I’m a forever fan. Thank you for your brilliance,” I managed to muster after our quick snap.

“Thank you,” he replied.

His brilliance continued on in the next room as pitch black curtains fell to reveal a silver foil runway set atop the concrete floor. The 69-look collection was showcased by male and female models old and new to the brand. From Karen Elson to Cole Mohr to Clément Chabernaud to Sang Woo Kim, it was a true-to-form diverse cast. I spotted Thomas Riguelle—a model I’ve had worked with before and who I’d gush with over Dries Van Noten collections he’d walk for throughout the years—in a multi-layered fit consisting of clashing floral prints. He told me the day after: “I’m still emotional.”

Van Noten is far from the only designer we’ve lost in menswear this year.

Just a few months prior, Piccioli announced his departure from Valentino after 25 years at the Maison. Piccioli joined Valentino in 1999 and eventually became co-creative director together with Maria Grazia Chiuri in 2009. He then took sole creative reins in 2016, continuing the legacy of the Maison in his own dreamy vision of bold menswear proposals founded on Valentino’s couture heritage.

It’s difficult to find a Piccioli for Valentino menswear collection that was nothing short of awe-inspiring. This was after all, the man who cleverly collaborated with Japanese designer Jun Takahashi of Undercover in 2019 to create arresting graphics set against contemporary fusions of tailoring and streetwear that would still fit in with today’s sensibilities. He mashed typically couture fabrications like silk taffeta in rich hues with denim, and made them relevant and wearable for the everyday. Who could also forget that one collection where Piccioli created his own shade of pink and bathed half of the collection with it, juxtaposed with all-black ensembles.

Then, for Valentino’s Autumn/Winter 2024 menswear collection, it seemed like Piccioli finally had an off moment. Showcased in rooms that were painted a specific shade of azure blue, it was as though he attempted to recreate the Valentino Pink PP magic that had us all enthralled two seasons prior, but without so much as a spark. The collection was so pared back that I was left completely unaware that it was all he had to give. Little did we all know then that he would part ways with the Maison a couple of months later.

Unlike Piccioli’s rather shocking departure, the rumour mill was in overdrive for months with regard to Hedi Slimane’s exit from Celine. It became an unescapable, ongoing topic among editors and insiders—the whats, whys and whens of his leaving. It was almost baffling too because Celine was then on the cusp of finally launching its first makeup line, and it even launched a few new fragrances that were very much Slimane-concocted. The Maison was also doing relatively well, buoyed by the presence of its strong army of ambassadors the likes of Lisa and Park Bogum. But where there’s smoke, there’s fire.

The exit was confirmed on 2 October. The announcement was short, listing Slimane’s overarching vision for the Maison for the past seven years that saw it expanding into menswear, couture and haute parfumerie. And then within hours, the announcement of Celine’s new artistic director was released. Michael Rider, who had worked under Phoebe Philo during her time at the Maison, is due to make his return.

Those are just three of the major menswear losses. Other recent exits include Glenn Martens out of Y/Project after 11 years, Phillip Lim from his namesake brand, Peter Hawkings’ quick two-collection turn at Tom Ford, and Peter Do from Helmut Lang. The circumstances that led to each are seemingly unique—Y/Project, for example, is experiencing financial troubles—but a creative loss is a loss nonetheless.

There are reasons why the departure of Van Noten, Piccioli and Slimane are especially upsetting. Each have built such strong legacies that they’ve amassed a fair share of admirers and fans—the ones that would turn up to a fashion show proudly bedecked in their creations, and those who have adopted the designers’ aesthetics into their own. Being an ardent fan of one is essentially a lifestyle.

Slimane’s singular vision at Celine was initially met with division. The stark contrast from his predecessor’s more structural forms and cerebral designs had many feeling that Slimane should have started his own brand instead of turning Celine into his own. Yet, the vision evolved and became a universe of its own, extending into a haute parfumerie collection that spawned new categories for the Maison beyond just fashion. The look was consistent: unapologetically Parisian luxe across fashion, beauty, lifestyle accessories and an assortment of curated artistic partnerships.

Change is constant. And while many are rejoicing over Rider’s appointment at Celine (assuming he is intent on bringing back the Philo era), those mourning Slimane’s aesthetic will either have to start binge purchasing his final designs or resort to resale platforms for their fix.

There is absolutely no pleasing everyone in fashion. Even the most celebrated designers have their fair share of critics, especially with fashion being as subjective as it is. But changing in hopes of appealing to a wider demographic is tricky due to a risk in alienating core customer demographiscs; customers who have grown with the visual language set by Piccioli and Slimane for more than five years now have to change with the maisons or divert their attention to a different brand. It’s an unfortunate conundrum as brands prioritise profits over a consistent identity.

Valentino has already begun its new era with Alessandro Michele injecting his own interpretation of what the Maison is. In many ways, it’s a familiar aesthetic to when he was helming Gucci, and has resulted in a reception similar to how Slimane’s initial collection at Celine was initially viewed. And as Slimane has shown, time is needed for a full universe to be realised.

On 9 December 2024, Dries Van Noten announced its new creative lead. Its Spring/Summer 2025 womenswear collection was the first after Van Noten’s retirement and was designed by the in-house studio team. The spirit of the founder was still there and it felt like it could have very well been designed by Van Noten himself, with all the elements that make Dries Van Noten beloved present. But if change is constant, at the very least, there’s hope that newly installed creative director Julian Klausner—he’s worked alongside Van Noten since 2018 on the women’s collections—will continue the legacy beautifully.

At the end of Van Noten’s final show, he walked to the middle of the silver foil runway and waved to a standing ovation. The cube of projections that was the centrepiece of the pre-show cocktails was uncovered and out came a disco ball, spinning with enough speed to completely envelop the space with a kaleidoscope of lights. It’s so good, it’s so good, it’s so good coos Donna Summer as “I Feel Love” starts to play. At the end of the day, change is inevitable and all we can do is embrace it.

This article was first seen on Esquire Singapore.

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