Camomille Satin by Dries Van Noten: A Wildflower in Couture
Written by Eveline Nagajeva
Can a fragrance behave like couture? Can it drape or flow the way a garment does? In Dries Van Noten’s world — absolutely. Camomille Satin is more than a fragrance, it’s a continuation of his design language in aromatic form.
Photo credit: Eveline Nagajeva
Dries Van Noten began his journey in Antwerp, Belgium — a city once better known for its Flemish art history than for its avant-garde fashion. That changed in the early 1980s, when Dries Van Noten and five of his classmates from the Royal Academy of Fine Arts – Ann Demeulemeester, Walter Van Beirendonck, Dirk Van Saene, Marina Yee and Dirk Bikkembergs – made their bold debut at a designer showcase in London. Their radical approach caught the industry’s attention and gave rise to the now-iconic name: the Antwerp Six.
What united these six designers wasn’t a shared aesthetic, but a common rebellion against the fashion norms of the time. They introduced conceptual thinking, avant-garde silhouettes, they redefined European fashion. They didn’t just put Antwerp on the map — they turned it into a philosophy that continues to inspire generations of designers.
Dries Van Noten is a master of a unique take on deconstructivism, known for his visionary ability to pair unexpected elements like floral prints with checkered textiles, bold color blocking with muted layers, or delicate silk draped over structured fabrics. In his world, textiles aren't just materials, they are an obsession.
Photo from the brand’s website
The fabrics used in his collections are often custom made exclusively for his house, reflecting his deep love and understanding of texture, pattern, and contrast. This design philosophy is reflected in Dries Van Noten fragrance line as well.
One important detail! Dries has a profound love for plants. Flowers, especially orchids, dahlias, roses, and wild herbs, often appear as motifs in his textiles and embroidery. He cultivates a vast garden outside Antwerp, which he cherishes deeply. That garden often serves as both a literal and emotional inspiration for his fashion collections and for the fragrances.
Photo from the brand’s website
His fragrance line is is directly inspired by this garden. Perfumers are invited to visit, smell, observe, and interpret botanical impressions into fragrance compositions.
Among them, Camomille Satin stands out to me. Created by Julien Rasquinet and Paul Guerlain, the fragrance plays with contrasts — herbaceous dryness and honeyed sweetness — a duality that Dries Van Noten is known to love. Petitgrain adds a green, bitter sharpness that lifts the herbal character of chamomile and lavender, evoking the scent of dried herbs under a scorching sun. Then comes the sweetness — syrupy vanilla and orange blossom melt together into something resembling golden floral honey, slowly trickling through the composition. The sweetness is beautifully balanced by the aromatic herbs, creating a scent that’s both stunning and comforting.
Photo credit: Eveline Nagajeva
And then there are the bottles—true pieces of art. Each one is unique, echoing the brand’s deconstructivist aesthetic through contrasting textures, forms, and colors.
Though Dries Van Noten officially stepped away from his fashion house in 2024, his legacy lives on. Whether in a garment or a fragrance, his unmistakable signature style is instantly recognizable. And while he may be retired from the runway, his presence continues — curating and advising the brand’s beauty and fragrance divisions.
Photo from the brand’s website