| Slow down | "Too much fashion" says Dries Van Noten

STRICTLY BUSINESS | Van Noten's 2004 runway show, celebrating his 50th collection, where editors and retailers dined on a table/runway

For 25 years, he's done exactly as he pleases, with all its ups and downs, and as he reflects on it, he remains as serene as his surroundings. "We all have our ideas and our dreams," he says as he gazes out his bay window at the pleasure yachts in the still port below. "It's important to have your dreams. But," he adds quietly, "I'm very realistic."

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