New York has a way of swallowing luxury brands whole. You walk down Madison Avenue or through the glassy corridors of Hudson Yards and everything starts to look like a high-end airport terminal. Clean. White. Sterile. Boring.
Then there is Dries Van Noten NYC.
Honestly, it’s a miracle it even exists. Dries—the man, the legend—is famous for being "slow." He doesn't do things because a board of directors told him to hit a quarterly target. It took him nearly 40 years to open a flagship in Manhattan. Think about that. Most brands rush into a New York zip code before they’ve even figured out their own identity. Dries waited until April 2025 to finally drop his anchor at 168 Mercer Street.
It was worth the wait.
The Mercer Street Vibe
If you’ve spent any time in SoHo lately, you know it’s basically a playground for TikTok influencers and people waiting in line for overpriced sneakers. But the Dries Van Noten boutique feels like a glitch in the simulation. It’s quiet. It’s moody.
The building itself is narrow—only about six meters wide. But it stretches back 30 meters and shoots up seven meters into the air. Walking in feels less like entering a store and more like stepping into a private gallery owned by a very wealthy, very eccentric uncle who happens to have the best taste in the world.
There’s this incredible gold-leaf structure at the back of the store that catches the light in a way that feels almost holy. It’s actually a nod to the silver runway from his final Spring/Summer 2025 menswear show.
You’ve got concrete walls rubbing shoulders with 17th-century French and English paintings. There are sculptural pieces by Belgian artist Ben Storms and even items from the late Iris Apfel’s personal collection. It’s a mess of eras and styles that somehow, magically, makes perfect sense.
Is He Actually Retired?
This is the big question everyone asks when they walk through the doors. Yes and no.
Dries Van Noten officially stepped down as Creative Director in June 2024. He’s 67 now. He wants to spend time in his famous garden in Lier, outside Antwerp. He wants to breathe. But he didn't just walk away and leave the keys under the mat.
He was intensely involved in the design of the Dries Van Noten NYC flagship. He also handpicked his successor, Julian Klausner, who had been his right hand since 2018.
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When you shop at the Mercer Street store in 2026, you’re seeing the handoff in real-time. You might find a rack of classic Dries—those painterly prints and clashing jacquards—next to Klausner’s newer, fresher silhouettes. It doesn’t feel like a "new era" has killed the old one. It feels like a conversation.
The Beauty Corner Is Actually Good
Most fashion brands treat makeup like an afterthought—basically a way to sell cheap plastic to people who can't afford a $2,000 coat. Dries didn't do that.
The beauty section in the NYC store is located right at the front on chic marble shelves. The lipsticks are refillable and look like little Art Deco totems. The fragrances are the real star, though. They’re gender-fluid and smell like things that shouldn't work together but do. Bitter orange mixed with sandalwood, or something that smells like a damp Belgian garden after a rainstorm.
One of the best things about the store is that they encourage you to actually touch things. It’s not one of those "don't breathe on the merchandise" kind of places. The staff actually knows the stories behind the art on the walls.
Why Mercer Street Matters Now
Shopping in person feels kinda weird in 2026, doesn't it? Most of us just click a button and wait for a box to show up. But Dries Van Noten is one of the few designers who still believes in "bricks and mortar."
He once said that people need to "fall in love with fashion again." You can’t do that through a phone screen. You need to feel the weight of a heavy wool coat or see how a metallic thread catches the light when you move.
The New York store is a temple to that idea. It’s a "Jewel Box," as some critics have called it. It’s small enough to feel intimate but grand enough to remind you why fashion used to be considered an art form.
What You Need to Know Before You Go
- Location: 168 Mercer Street, New York, NY 10012.
- The Men’s Floor: Don't miss the basement. It’s moodier, cozier, and holds the full menswear collection and a selection of vinyl records.
- The Art: The pieces change. It’s worth looking at the tags near the paintings; sometimes you’re standing next to a David Hockney or a Tracey Emin.
- Timing: Go on a Tuesday or Wednesday afternoon. SoHo is a nightmare on Saturdays, and you want the space to yourself to really see the details.
Real Talk on the Future
Look, the fashion world is nervous. When a founder like Dries leaves, brands usually go one of two ways: they become a corporate zombie or they lose their soul trying to be "trendy."
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By opening this New York flagship after his retirement announcement, Dries gave the brand a lifeline. He proved that the "Dries aesthetic" is bigger than just one man. It’s a way of looking at the world—mixing the old with the new, the rough with the smooth, the Belgian gloom with the New York energy.
If you’re in the city and you’re tired of the same three fast-fashion stores on every block, go to Mercer Street. Even if you don't buy a single thing, just walk through that 30-meter-deep corridor. Stand in front of the gold-leaf wall. Take a breath.
It’s the closest thing to a religious experience you’ll find in SoHo.
Actionable Steps for Your Visit
- Check the Julian Klausner Debut: Look for the specific "Klausner Era" pieces to see how the silhouettes are evolving from the classic Dries oversized look.
- Sample the Refills: If you already own a Dries fragrance, the NYC store is the best place to get refills and check out the limited-edition lipstick cases that aren't always available online.
- Ask About the Sculptures: The staff is trained on the interior design. Ask about the Ben Storms pieces; the story of how they were moved into the narrow space is a feat of engineering in itself.
- Walk the Whole Block: Mercer Street has become a mini-hub for "quiet luxury." Compare the Dries experience to neighbors like Alaïa and Khaite to see why the Belgian approach feels so much warmer.