After a little more than a year since he assumed the design helm at Dries Van Noten, Julian Klausner said he’s relishing the capabilities of his teams and suppliers — and digging what he’s uncovered in the menswear archive, including kilts from the early 2000s. (Recall that he designed womenswear alongside the Belgian founder for six years before his big promotion.)
“I want to keep everyone busy. I want to keep everybody excited. I also want to challenge myself and play around with a lot of things,” he said.
His enthusiasm was palpable during a preview, as he ran through the impressive R&D and print development behind his sophomore men’s show, noting some florals were created with Polaroids, like the 500 snaps dispatched as invitations.
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The designer tossed many ideas and motifs into the mix — perhaps too many — including botanicals, florals, Fair Isle patterns, stripes, paisleys, checks and geometric prints.
Klausner opened his show with slender, vaguely military coats, helping cement tailored outerwear as the must-have category of the fall 2026 season. His often came with detachable knitted collars, cueing up a strong emphasis on the knitwear category, and patterns galore.
It’s something of high-wire act to juggle so many disparate motifs, but he managed to assemble mostly harmonious ensembles by sticking mainly to a muted palette. He also dared to reprise some shades from the founder’s daring Francis Bacon-inspired women’s collection for fall 2009, which almost stole the show.
The narrative underpinning the collection was a coming-of-age theme, “that fragile moment in between being a teenager and becoming an adult,” Klausner said, describing a young man “leaving home, packing things that he loves, hand-me-downs, granddad’s coat, his childhood blazer.”
Hence collegiate references like pocket crests, graduation capes in traditional menswear fabrics, and roomy school bags. The show had a young spirit, heightened by the knit trapper hats, center-parted hair and nerdy glasses.
“I think I am quite ambitious in these first seasons,” Klausner said. “I want to kind of play around with a lot of things, and I want to make sure I get a strong message across.”
He also displayed a knack for clever accessories, like his super-flat leather shoes and wrestling boots, ultra-wide straps for shoulder bags, and an apron-like garment that gives the impression of an untucked shirt — like a dickey for the hips.
