Dries van Noten on why he's building a new home for craft in Venice

The word ‘retirement’ does not sit well with Dries van Noten. It’s over a year since the designer stepped back from his his eponymous label – a 38–year tenure that put Belgian design squarely on the fashion map and made him one of the most influential members of the Antwerp Six. 'I got very nervous when people would say, "you’ll have more time for your garden now",' he says, looking exasperated. ‘The garden for me was always a very good balance with fashion – you know because fashion is fast, but in the garden, you’re slowing down.’

Quite the opposite of going quietly into retirement, Van Noten is plotting an ambitious new chapter. The 67-year-old designer has spent 2025 laying the groundwork for his new role as a cultural custodian, with the opening of his own foundation in Venice – a non-profit institution devoted to celebrating, sustaining, and platforming endangered crafts.

Earlier this year, when it was revealed that Van Noten and his partner, Patrick Vangheluwe, had purchased a 15th century Venetian palazzo from the Sammartini family, it was known that it would be used for cultural purposes (honouring the former owners’ wish not to see it turned into another luxury hotel). Today he formally announces its true purpose: the Fondazione Dries Van Noten, opening in April 2026.

Sitting in a beautifully patinated eggshell-blue room inside the Palazzo Pisani Moretta, reflections from the Grand Canal dancing across the frescoed ceiling, Van Noten tells Wallpaper* that he was drawn to Venice as a place that ‘is not just a weekend destination, but a living city… there’s a lot of young people coming back now to Venice, and something is bubbling here.’ It's this sense of continual creative renewal that he hopes to tap into.

In a city built on craft – and now host to global events such as Homo Faber, Venice Glass Week and the Venice Biennale – the Fondazione will present exhibitions, residencies, talks and cross-disciplinary projects spanning everything from food to fashion. For Van Noten, a third generation of a family of tailors, craftsmanship is not a narrow or nostalgic category. ‘Craftsmanship, for me, is a lot of different things. It’s things that you do with your hands, yes, but also with your soul… Some people express themselves with their hands, some with their voice; cooking, glass, jewellery, fashion – even music. For me, food and wine are also part of that creative freedom.’

He is equally keen that the programme looks ahead, rather than backwards. ‘We’re not living in the 18th century. 3D printing, AI – they can also be tools for creativity. I want to open it all up.’

Architect Alberto Torsello is working with Van Noten on the palazzo’s restoration – mostly interventions that visitors will never see. Venice’s planning laws are notoriously slow and meticulous, so dramatic alterations are neither possible nor desired. As Van Noten points out, ‘The Palazzo is unique because it was redecorated [in Rococò style] by Chiara Pisani in the 1730s, and everything is still intact – an incredible ensemble of craftsmanship of that period. The last thing we want to do is put our stamp on it.’

Instead, the Fondazione’s more visible experimentation will unfold at its second site, Studio San Polo – a gallery-like, industrial space redesigned by architect Giulia Foscari. It will host the first presentation in April 2026 while restoration begins at the palazzo. Details of the April opening are not yet announced, though Van Noten says it will introduce the full breadth of the Fondazione’s programme.

The idea for a foundation, Van Noten reveals, has been quietly brewing over the past decade, around the time he began looking for a buyer for his business (which he eventually sold to conglomerate Puig in 2018). ‘I always knew I wanted to do something else in my life – fashion is very full on, you can’t do anything else. I wanted to give back, to show people the beauty of craftsmanship. And maybe young people will want to learn it, continue it, appreciate it.’ Creating something for the future generations is a key driver for him; he remembers fondly his talks at the Antwerp School of Fashion: ‘I hope they learned something from me, but the truth is I learned even more from them.’

If anything prepared him for this new role, it was his life in fashion – particularly curatorial projects such as the Inspirations exhibition he curated at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in 2015. It was there – where he brought together historical garments, Balenciaga pieces, artworks from Damien Hirst to Van Dyck, films, objects – that the breadth of his creative world became clear: ‘As a fashion designer you are surrounded by set designers, craftsmen, people working in music, lighting, decor. You’re spoiled – you can do so many different things.’

The timing of the Fondazione also overlaps with a cultural pivot toward slower, more elemental ways of living and making. Van Noten traces the shift through food. ‘Ten years ago, a good restaurant was three stars, twelve waiters, and a wine list of fifty pages. Now luxury is when the chef decides what you eat, natural wine, homegrown food. The same is happening with objects – beauty can be in everyday things, in a dish or a glass you use daily.’

It’s a sentiment echoed elsewhere in the industry – Scottish gallery Bard’s recent Bardware show being one example – and it underpins Van Noten’s wish to bring craft back to ground level. He wants the Fondazione to remove craft from the lofty pedestal and place it into people’s hands, showing that it can be woven into the fabric of everyday life.

And is this, ultimately, about legacy? Van Noten pauses. ‘Maybe yes, but that’s not the purpose. It’s not about my name on a building. I just felt too young to retire and work only in my garden – please don’t do that to me,’ he laughs. ‘I think I still can do something that makes sense. We can’t be too ambitious and say we’re going to change everything. But if we can help shift the mentality a little bit… that would be fantastic.’

As for fashion, he insists he doesn’t miss it. ‘Not really,’ he says, smiling. ‘The fashion, I think we had a lot of it. And I think we’ve found the perfect replacement.’