Dries Van Noten last night at FIAF. Photo: Getty Images

In a rare appearance, Dries Van Noten spoke at the French Institute Alliance Française in New York last night as part of the organization’s Fashion Talks series. There, he admitted that although his pieces are admired for their beauty, he, like Miuccia Prada, starts designing by looking at the ugly: “I’m more inspired by things which I don’t like … nothing is so boring as something beautiful. I prefer ugly things, I prefer things which are surprising … You force yourself to ask yourself questions. Quite often I make a collection and I say, ‘Here’s a color I really don’t like.’ … My assistants will say ‘Okay, you don’t like lilac,’ [that means] this season will be lilac. It’s like you see a color, and you think, ‘Why don’t I like this color?’ Maybe the composition is wrong, maybe the lighting is wrong — it would be beautiful in silk, but not the synthetic fabric … That for me is the fun, to play with all the [fabrics].” As for fast fashion and knockoffs, he opined: “It’s the reality. I don’t want to live in the old world, like 35, 30 years ago when people had prêt-à-porter and that was it. I think fast fashion is good. I think modern people combine vintage with designer clothes, with a piece they buy at Zara or other stores—why not?”