When we were studying at the Royal Antwerp Academy, we were taught to seek inspiration from everyone, everything and everywhere. My parents and grandparents were also a great inspiration for me a very young age. Dries van Noten More Quotes by Dries van Noten More Quotes From Dries van Noten For me, restrictions are not always negative. Restrictions can push creativity. I like restrictions. Dries van Noten creativity restriction negative There are boys and girls, there is night and day, but above all there is love. Dries van Noten girl night boys A few years ago, maybe it was more strange to be outside of the centers of fashion. Now, with the Internet and traveling that you can do, I think I'm more central than some people in Paris. Dries van Noten fashion years thinking Our role is to dream and inspire rather than collude in impacting the reality. Dries van Noten dream inspire reality Enjoy your life, fashion is not that important. Dries van Noten enjoy fashion important The first and most important thing for me is that people feel how beautiful fashion can be and that it is not just a case of well-made and expensive clothes. Fashion is so rich and it is such an amazing occupation because we can draw on so many different sources of inspiration - just as a hummingbird feeds on a multitude of flowers. Dries van Noten fashion flower beautiful I make clothes people can wear; I don't make art. Dries van Noten clothes people art When we were studying at the Royal Antwerp Academy, we were taught to seek inspiration from everyone, everything and everywhere. My parents and grandparents were also a great inspiration for me at a very young age. Dries van Noten grandparent inspiration age I think in the same way when I'm cooking, when I'm gardening, when I'm choosing fabrics. It's a way of living. Dries van Noten think gardening cooking way I'm a very big fan of winter-flowering shrubs and bulbs. You have the smell, you have the color - it's really like a present from God when something like that is in flower in the middle of the snow. Dries van Noten you flower god snow I prefer ugly things. I prefer things which are surprising. Dries van Noten prefer which things ugly I have my own office, and I'm there during the evenings and weekends. But during the week, I'm sitting in the middle of my studio, talking with everybody, deciding together every detail, every pallette, every yarn, every colour. Dries van Noten my-own sitting together talking Coincidence is important, the convergence of different ideas. Dries van Noten different important coincidence ideas I'm a fashion designer, not a shoe designer. I like to design clothes. Dries van Noten like clothes design fashion The word 'fashion' I don't like because fashion is something that's over in six months. I'd like to find a word that's more timeless. Dries van Noten find something like fashion Various different people have inspired me throughout my career. From Francis Bacon to Vassareli, Coco Chanel to Christian Dior, Cecil Beaton, musicians, architects... the list is endless. Dries van Noten musicians me christian people In the design process, there's a need to be culturally comprehensive. Dries van Noten need comprehensive design process I think by my father owning a store, I was definitely aware of the commercial aspect of selling clothes. His shop was a place I enjoyed spending time in as a boy, so I learned things almost by osmosis at times, by literally just being around all the action and not really despite myself. Dries van Noten myself spending-time time father I prefer to see a good exhibit sponsored by a brand than a bad exhibit due to lack of funds. Dries van Noten brand bad good see I have a responsibility to the people who work for me, the manufacturers I work with. There is no point to clothes that don't sell. Dries van Noten me responsibility work people
