Dries Van Noten opens first standalone US store in LA

By

Robin Driver

Published
Oct 9, 2020

Belgian designer fashion brand Dries Van Noten is set to open its first standalone brick-and-mortar retail destination in the U.S. on Friday, having chosen Los Angeles as the location for its debut stateside boutique.
 

Opening at a time when many U.S.-based retailers are enacting store closures or filing for bankruptcy due to the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic, the 8,500-square-foot flagship located on La Cienega Boulevard is the brand’s largest store to date.
 
The two-story location is the company’s seventh standalone store, joining flagships in Antwerp, Paris, Singapore, Hong Kong and Shanghai.

According to the brand’s eponymous founder, as well as stocking Dries Van Noten’s apparel and accessories collections, the new LA store will seek to adapt to customers’ needs as they change, offering performances, art exhibitions, film screenings and workshops.
 
“The idea is for it to be a very open space for creativity,” Van Noten told Vogue Business. “You don’t always have to come to the store to buy garments, you can also come to discover something about food, art, music and other beautiful things.”
 
A former Opening Ceremony store, the flagship’s location started life as a jewelry manufacturer. Van Noten’s new take on the space includes upcycled furniture, specially designed seating and shelving, art from local artists, and a grand piano.
 
The store also features two archive rooms, one each for womenswear and menswear. Here customers can find historic pieces from the Dries Van Noten archive, covering a period stretching from the 1990s right up to the previous season.
 
According to Vogue Business, the plan is that customers will eventually be able to bring in their own Dries Van Noten pieces to sell in the store.
 
Founded in 1986, Dries Van Noten has been owned by Puig since 2018. The Spanish group also owns the Carolina Herrera, Nina Ricci and Paco Rabanne brands.