The Fondazione Dries Van Noten in Venice Will Be “a Space to Showcase and Nurture the Art of Making in All Its Forms”

So, what drew you to Venice? The city is breathtaking, but not exactly the easiest place to navigate, quite literally. What was it that compelled you, on a personal or cultural level, to dive headfirst into this Venetian adventure?

The story actually begins seven or eight years ago. When I was 59, I started thinking about the future—both of my brand and of Patrick and me as a couple. We knew we needed to find someone to take over the brand. Closing it wasn’t really an option; there was too much identity, too many elements that could continue under someone who respected its soul while bringing their own touch. The archive was complete, and our Antwerp team—many of whom had been with us for 20, 25, even 35 years—was deeply connected to the brand. Simply saying, “Sorry, I’m 65, goodbye,” wouldn’t have been honest, really.

So we decided to step down when I turned 65, partly because, having grown up in fashion—my parents owned stores, I tagged along on buying trips since I was 12—it felt like fashion had been my life for more than five decades, and I wanted to see what else was out there. Covid delayed our plans by a year, so technically I stepped back at 66, not 65. But last year, we finally said, “Okay, we’re stopping. Time for something else.” We had some ideas.

You certainly don’t lack imagination. What were these ideas?

We’ve always been very fond of Italy. We even have a summer house on the Amalfi Coast. We loved the food, the people, everything. So choosing Italy felt almost inevitable. Then, as often happens, a bit of serendipity took over. A friend once stayed with us in Belgium in the little guesthouse on our property. After a lovely dinner, she mentioned, “I still have an apartment in Venice. Why don’t you come and stay?” From there, through a chain of events involving our friend Robert Carsten, we ended up staying in her apartment in a beautiful palazzo instead of a hotel, and suddenly Venice revealed itself in an entirely different light.

Usually, it’s treated like a weekend zoo visit—you see the surface, the postcards, the gondolas. But staying in an apartment revealed the city beneath the beauty: proud Venetians, bustling markets, fabulous fishmongers and butchers, and a young generation ready to carry it forward. Venice isn’t just a city of nostalgia; there’s energy, schools, students, and grassroots creativity bubbling under the surface. It’s not flashy like New York or London, it doesn’t shout about being hip. You have to immerse yourself in its life to feel its subtle, layered magic. We were utterly captivated.”

“What I truly love about a garden is the quiet, the space to walk, the absence of traffic: no cars, no trucks, no traffic lights, no noise. Venice, in a surprising way, offers much the same.” explains Dries Van Noten.

Photo: Camilla Glorioso/ Courtesy of Dries Van Noten