Cover Raw elegance reverberates within the fashion house’s Tokyo outpost

Years of friendship have forged a life-long collaboration between renowned Belgian designers Gert Voorjans and Dries Van Noten. The result? More than 30 stunning stores in key cities globally including Tokyo and Paris

“I think we were a bit predestined to end up working together,” the interior designer Gert Voorjans laughs while narrating how his decades-long partnership with fashion designer Dries Van Noten began. The creative duo met in Antwerp, where they both live, in the Nineties, a few years following the breakthrough of the fashion collective Antwerp Six, of which Van Noten is a part of. The Antwerp Six’s distinct radical vision for fashion, which flourished in the mid-Eighties, had established Belgium’s second-largest metropolitan city as a notable destination for fashion design. “I was a big fan [of him]. I wanted to be dressed in all his clothes. We shared wonderful musical evenings and cultural events. We carry the same interests and sort of speak the same ‘language’,” he adds. Back then, Voorjans was working under the tutelage of Axel Vervoordt, another famous name in the interior design scene in Belgium. “Dries came over to Vervoordt’s Gravenwezel castle a lot because it was a very unique setting then,” he continues. Voorjans ended up working full time for Van Noten. “After working for him in Japan for two years, I suggested contributing freelance and to make him a priority whenever there are [Dries Van Noten] flagship stores to be designed.”

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Above The exteriors of Dries Van Noten’s flagship store in Aoyama exude beautiful simplicity

Their friendship gave birth to over 30 Dries Van Noten stores worldwide—all of which radiate rich layers and explosive energetic colours that the two designers are known for. “We understand each other and have the same views in aesthetics. His approach on how to use colours with materials is very likewise my approach for interiors. We both like twisting, enrapturing and stunning elements. I feel like a certain punch, sexiness and twist need to be present in my interiors, like Dries in clothing, to make the rest more fascinating. It’s all about character, colour, craftsmanship and a bit of fun. The work I do is more of an assemblage in an artistic way, creating a clash by having the qualities of the past meet some extreme from today,” says Voorjans.

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Above Inside is an artwork by Gerard de Lairesse that serves as the store’s focal point
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'gallery right' 'gallery right'
Photo 1 of 2 A statement pendant lamp is sure to get your attention at Dries Van Noten’s Aoyama store
Photo 2 of 2 Belgian fashion designer Dries Van Noten

The first store he designed was the flagship store in Antwerp’s five-storey Het Modepaleis followed by many others, including one fronting the Louvre in Paris and in Aoyama, Tokyo. “The most iconic has been the flagship store in Quai Malaquais in Paris. The fact that it is in Paris is key as it is a window to the world. It is astonishing how quickly it spreads reaction from New York, Los Angeles, Manila, Hong Kong… I could say this was a life-changing project,” Voorjans says. “That was probably the starting point of turning those cold white boxes with long rows of spotlights into more charming and eclectic spaces. Since then, it has become trendy to design shops with a very homely atmosphere [complete] with rugs and lamps, with character, soul and personality. To feel like, ‘can I stay?’,” he adds, albeit reminding not to go overboard either. “In a shop, everything has to work perfectly. [It should be] stunning and appealing but not sensory overload to some extent.”

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'gallery right' 'gallery right'
Photo 1 of 4 Layers and layers of textures and patterns are always apparent in Voorjans’ designs
Photo 2 of 4 The renowned Belgian interior architect Gert Voorjans
Photo 3 of 4 In DVN Paris, warm vibrant colours makes the men’s section cosy and inviting
Photo 4 of 4 There is an element of surprise in every corner of the Aoyama store. Case in point: beautiful walnut pieces combined with sunny hues

Dries Van Noten’s Paris flagship store evokes the eccentricity of the legendary antiques dealer and interior designer, Madeleine Castaing. “We wanted to create the atmosphere of a real Parisian apartment with sofas, shades and curtains so when people come in, their reaction is: ‘Oh! Can I close the curtains and stay?’ The idea is to convert retail in very homely spaces, and the rest followed this trend,” he shares. This vibe was executed through eye-catching colours such as imperial yellow and Persian blue, as well as elements in beautiful French grey. A huge display cabinet, based on the original library of Castaing, to showcase the Dries Van Noten collection was also incorporated in the design. “When you enter on the left side, you can see the magnifique balustrade and mezzanine, the old elements of the bookstore that was there before, and the mirror ceiling and central Murano lantern—an original from the old Roman hotel,” he says about his favourite spot in the store, a project that was nine months in-the-making.

The Aoyama flagship store is a different story. “Since the huge success of the Paris store, all the other business partners wanted a copy of [the] Paris [store],” says Voorjans. But he justifies why the store in Tokyo is unique. “My approach has always been to link the brand with the city. The Dries Van Noten store in Tokyo looks totally different from the one in Hong Kong or Paris. This is the key to not losing the authenticity and the [element of] surprise,” he shares, adding that unlike the Paris store, the one in Aoyama features straight lights and natural palettes. What makes it distinct are the artworks on display: A Dispute Between Achilles and Agamemnon and Paris and Apollo Kill Achilles, Hitting Him with an Arrow in His Heels—both by the Dutch Golden Age painter and art theorist Gerard de Lairesse who is often compared with 17th-century French artist Nicolas Poussin. These two artworks are juxtaposed with monochrome reinterpretations of the paintings by two contemporary Japanese artists.

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Above Voorjans uses interesting touches including the signature imperial yellow curtains
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Above Playful details abound at the Tokyo flagship store
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Dries Van NotenBoutique HommeQuai Malaquais
Above A rich palette combined with intricate elements completes the cosy and inviting Parisienne apartment vibe the designer wants to convey
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Dries Van NotenBoutique HommeQuai Malaquais
Above A rich palette combined with intricate elements completes the cosy and inviting Parisienne apartment vibe the designer wants to convey

The building where the store is situated exudes the Japanese architect Tadao Ando’s raw constructivism. “It was impossible for us to imagine a kind of Parisienne apartment in the ambience in Tokyo. The challenge was how to achieve the fusion between Japanese raw architecture and our eclectic approach,” recounts Voorjans, adding that he was challenged by the “hyper detail-sensitivity of the Japanese”. Despite the limitations, Voorjans still managed to bring in his iconic imperial yellow curtains and the two Renaissance multicolour paintings in contrast combined with the most wonderful walnut. Determined, he finished the project in six months.

In designing a space, Voorjans believes that it needs to have certain soul and personality to be interesting. “It is about thinking out of the box and not ending with beige and greige. You can mix-match styles, fuse Eastern and Western, Neo and Gothic, but like in an opera, all elements must be in symphony to tell the story,” the creative genius, who is known for creating “exciting rooms for thoughtful people”, muses.

When asked about his relationship with Van Noten today, he says, “Dries Van Noten still inspires and stimulates me. It has been a synergy of so many years, a dream come true, of course.” That synergy is still evident three decades later. As fashion journalist Hamish Bowles says, “There is no place for timid, mundane, or formulaic in his [Voorjans] design vocabulary; instead, Gert’s brilliantly coloured world celebrates the daring and the exceptional. His magical roomscapes ignite our imaginations, fuel our dreams and enhance our realities.” These words perfectly describe how Voorjans’ works seamlessly infuse with the Dries Van Noten brand.

Credits

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Daici Ano / FWD (Tokyo)

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Yannis Vlamos / FWD (Paris)

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Francois G Durand / Getty Images (Dries Van Noten)