Willy Vandeperre Shoots Dries Van Noten’s Wild Boys-Inspired Collection

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Dries Van Noten Autumn/Winter 2025 menswear
Dries Van Noten Autumn/Winter 2025 menswearPhotography by Willy Vanderperre

The first lookbook released under new creative director Julian Klausner, Dries Van Noten’s A/W25 lookbook draws inspiration from a William S Burroughs novel

Six months after Dries Van Noten presented his last ever show – a joyous affair set in a vast warehouse on a catwalk glistening with silver leaf and an enormous disco ball to match – the brand announced the appointment of Julian Klausner as creative director. A 33-year-old Belgian designer hired from within the company (and with previous experience at Maison Margiela), Van Noten said of Klausner at the time, “I have complete confidence in Julian’s creativity and vision. His deep understanding of the brand and its values will ensure a seamless transition and a bright future.” 

Today, Klausner released his first lookbook under his new role at the brand, shot by Willy Vanderperre, the Belgian photographer and AnOther contributor known for his iconic collaborations with brands including Prada, Calvin Klein and (the now-defunct) Raf Simons. (The collection itself, however, was “designed by the Dries Van Noten Studio and directed by Julian Klausner,” notes the press release). In a series of cinematic, crisp images, the Autumn/Winter 2025 collection’s darkly romantic mood comes into focus. With a soft, feminine take on a masculine wardrobe, mixing Neapolitan men’s tailoring with sailor’s silhouettes, the collection features flouncy, exaggerated shoulder pads, pussy bow blouses, feathered collars and blazers lined with floral patterns in purple fil coupé silk (a secret marvel for the wearer). Gender-fluid dressing reigns here, with models donning dark eyeshadow, headscarves and black leather gloves, with miniature bouquets of fresh flowers slipped through buttonholes and pinned to coats, and waistbands accentuated with dainty white and red shoelaces in place of more traditional belts. 

The initial inspiration for this collection was William S Burroughs’ 1971 novel The Wild Boys, a dystopian tale about a guerilla gang of young gay men who want to destroy Western civilisation. The film adaptation of the book, directed by Bertrand Mandico in 2017, also served as inspiration for the collection (notably, all five male protagonists in the film were played by female actors – hence the gender fluidity of the new collection). Burroughs, an influential American writer and a primary figure of the Beat Generation, is dominating fashion headlines once again following the release of Queer, Luca Guadagnino’s adaptation of the novel, with costume design by Jonathan Anderson (of JW Anderson and Loewe).