Artistic Director, Mentor of the Master in Creative Direction
Former creative director of Dior Homme, Belgian designer Kris Van Assche was known for his urban, minimalistic aesthetic, balancing heritage and innovation. Van Assche began his education at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts, Antwerp, moving to Paris when he graduated in 1998 for an internship at Yves Saint Laurent. Here, Van Assche worked for Hedi Slimane and followed the designer to Dior in 2000 to work on its menswear line.ย
In 2004, Van Assche launched his own menswear label. When Hedi Slimane exited Dior Homme in 2007, he succeeded his former mentor in the top creative position and stayed for 11 years. He is widely credited with making Dior contemporary. From 2018 to 2021, Van Assche was the artistic director of Berluti.
