Dries Van Noten has announced that Adrian Ward-Rees will become its new president starting December 1. He succeeds Axel Keller, who is stepping down from the role after five years of leadership at the Antwerp-based fashion house.
Ward-Rees joins the brand from Moncler Grenoble, where he has served as chief business officer since October 2024. His professional background includes roles with major brands such as Amiri, Burberry, Dior Homme, Speedo, and Nike, as well as retail experience at Selfridges and Lane Crawford. He holds a degree from the University of Surrey in the U.K.
In a statement released on Friday, Dries Van Noten confirmed that Keller will stay with the company until the end of the year to support Ward-Rees during the handover period. The brand highlighted Keller's contributions over his tenure, noting his close collaboration with leadership and creative teams to develop retail, wholesale, and digital activities while strengthening the house's international presence and expanding its accessories line.
Under Keller's oversight, the company opened new flagship stores in New York and London, alongside beauty and accessories "Gallery" locations in Paris, Brussels, Milan, and Kyoto. He also played a pivotal role in the brand's creative succession, supporting the appointment of Julian Klausner as creative director in 2024 following Dries Van Noten's decision to step down from that position.
Financially, the brand has shown strong performance under recent leadership. Although parent company Puig does not disclose sales figures by individual brand, Dries Van Noten reported double-digit revenue growth in the first half of 2026. This growth outpaced the group's overall like-for-like increase of 4.4 percent.
Sources: WWD.