In his own words, designer Dries Van Noten on an array of topics from flowers to fashion

In the fashion world, Belgian designer Dries Van Noten is an increasingly rare and curious phenomenon: a wholly independent designer who flies under-the-radar without advertising and antics. Yet, season after season, Van Noten continues to amass converts to his fiercely loyal cult following.

It's a testament to his unique vision: a dreamy and richly textured mix that artfully weaves in the exotic beauty of distant lands with European polish and the utilitarian grit of military and sporting details. Here, the thoughtful designer gives us his insights on fashion, art, technology, his hometown and more.

THE CULT OF DRIES
It's a great encouragement and inspiration to continue. The fact that our [Dries Van Noten and his design team's] work touches others in their lives is never something that we can underestimate or fail to continue to cherish.

ART, CONTEMPORARY AND OTHERWISE
Art is vital, necessary oxygen to all creative fields. An inspiration and a pilot light for us all given that art, unlike fashion, is a creative expression that exists without the boundaries of form or function.

UNEARTHING INSPIRATION FARAWAY
Inspiration is never as far away as one thinks! Even that which seems at first 'foreign' can touch and inspire us in a way that relates to our personal and immediate life and circumstances.

THE BEAUTY OF FLOWERS
Flowers give us the beauty of transience; perfection in fragility; the potency of colour and fragrance.

ANTWERP AS FASHION CAPITAL
It's a city I love and obviously hold close to my heart as it's my home and my preferred city to live in. For fashion, I think [Antwerp's] managed to retain a certain individualism that I hope it succeeds in holding onto in the future.

INDEPENDENCE
A life blood and the only way we have known 'how' so far. It means that we can evolve as designer and a team in an intrinsic and inherent manner.

THE SHAPE OF THINGS TO COME
To tell would lose all the excitement that goes with what's around the corner! Let's say that we can always hope that it will be bolder and more mature, more assertive whilst maintaining the discretion we have always insisted on affording ourselves.

BOOKS, IN PICTURES AND PRINT
They're an art that allows the imagination and the creative spirit soar.

TECHNOLOGY
One of the great stimuli of our daily lives today. It's important to embrace technological inertia yet with constant filtering of that which will help and inspire from that which will complicate. An example might be ink-jet printers. They have greatly assisted the perfecting of fabric prints from the 1930s to the present day. The fruits of this advancement in technology, we believe, were born out in our women's collection for Spring/Summer 2008

BEING A MEMBER OF FASHION'S AVANT-GARDE
Well that's for others to access. I'm simply happy to have the encouragement and stability needed to maintain the expression of our [mine and the design team's] creative point of view.

MASTERING THE ART OF THE MIX
It's something that always keeps me on my toes. One of the most fun parts for me is the conception, development and production of new prints and fabric combinations.

COMING OUT OF THE ANTWERP SIX
We [designers Ann Demeulemeester, Martin Margiela, Walter Van Beirendonck, Dirk Van Saene, Marina Yee and Dirk Bikkembergs] were all very fortunate to have had each other to lean on at that point. In the years that have passed, we have all managed to find very different paths to do what we do. We respect each other for that tremendously.

REVOLUTION VS. EVOLUTION IN FASHION
Embracing the past is just as necessary to move forward as developing new ideas. Evolution and revolution need to coexist should a designer wish to continue designing well.

HIS MOST PRIZED COLLECTION SO FAR
Impossible to say... like asking a parent to choose their favourite child.

CONTRADICTIONS IN STYLE
Contradictions are of course entirely subjective, and if one accepts that they are even possible, they can be the essence of style itself. If all ran smoothly, without clash or contrast, there may be nothing to discuss.

BEING A FASHION ENIGMA
Doesn't cost me a thought.

WHAT DOES YOUR HEART TELL YOU?
That luck is simply the combination of opportunity and preparedness. I am truly fortunate.

By Meenal Mistry