For Dries Van Noten Men Autumn/Winter 2026–2027, creative director Julian Klausner turns his attention to coming of age as an emotional process shaped by movement, memory, and first departures. The collection reflects the moment six months after graduation, when celebration gives way to leaving home, packing bags, and stepping into unfamiliar cities and experiences. This sense of transition is carried through the show’s emotional atmosphere, emphasised through the soundtrack, “Yo Ga Aketara (When Dawn Breaks)” by Maki Asakawa, which conveys the collection’s themes of departure, possibility, and anticipation.

The collection explores the emotional attachment to clothing and the spontaneous ways people wear pieces that carry meaning. Familiar items such as a father’s coat, a mother’s floral print, a sibling’s scarf, or a beloved jumper that has been outgrown become touchstones, transformed into a wardrobe that balances comfort and experimentation.

Courtesy of GoRunway & Leon Prost

Silhouettes draw from the strictness of school uniforms and rework them through eclectic proportions and relaxed styling. Tailored coats, parkas, capes, kilts, and pencil coats are paired with knits that appear both intentional and instinctive, worn tight or loose, layered or undone. Knitwear is central to the collection, appearing in Fair Isle patterns, argyles, cables, stripes, and embroidery, reinforcing the idea of clothing as both protection and self-expression.

The palette remains in blues, greys, and neutrals, with softer pastel tones. Fabrics span wool, Shetland, waxed cotton, silk, flannel, and jacquards, while traditional plaids and checks reference heritage and familiarity. Accessories range from oversized bags designed to carry everyday life to inherited trinkets, fishing lure pins, and semi-precious charms. On the feet, the collection favors sneakers, hi-top boxing shoes, and wholecut Oxfords, reinforcing its emphasis on practicality and transition.

Courtesy of GoRunway