Belgian fashion designer Dries van Noten was BOTD in 1958. Born in Antwerp to a mercantile family, he learned tailoring from his grandfather and first worked as a buyer for his father’s menswear store, helping organise fashion shows for local customers. He studied at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts, where he formed the Antwerp Six collective with fellow students Walter van Beirendonck and Ann Demeulemeester. They presented their first collection at London Fashion Week in 1986, landing accounts with Barneys in New York and Whistles in London. In 1987, van Noten launched his own fashion label and opened a store in Antwerp, presenting his first menswear collection in in 1991, followed by a womenswear collection in 1993. Known for his elegant tailoring, bold use of colour, exquisitely patterned prints and theatrical fashion shows, he managed to avoid annexation by giant luxury brands, avoiding advertising and earning his income from ready-to-wear collections. During the 2000s, he opened boutiques in Paris, Singapore, Tokyo and Hong Kong, dressing Belgium’s Queen Mathilde, Cate Blanchett and Maggie Gyllenhall, and was the subject of a fashion retrospective at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris. In 2018, the Puig Group acquired a majority shareholding in his company, with van Noten retaining creative control from his offices in Antwerp. He announced his retirement as creative director in 2024, presenting his final menswear collection in the 2025 spring/summer season. Van Noten lives in Antwerp with his long-term partner and creative collaborator Patrick Vangheluwe, and also owns a palazzo in Venice. In 2017, he was awarded the title of baron by the King of Belgium.