Who is Duran Lantink, the new star of committed fashion?
He’s shaking up the catwalks and intriguing the major fashion houses. Dutchman Duran Lantink, unknown to the general public until recently, is now a force to be reckoned with. His latest coup? Winning the International Woolmark Prize 2025 against worldwide competition, with a collection designed entirely in merino wool. But this victory is only the echo of an already outstanding career.
A dazzling and well-deserved rise
On March 9, Duran Lantink caused a stir at Paris Fashion Week with its Autumn-Winter 2025-2026 collection. A radical collection combining animal skins from dormant stocks, silicone bibs and 3D volumes. The mix disturbs, captivates and, above all, challenges. The result? A highly commented fashion show, immediate virality on Instagram and TikTok, and rare critical recognition for an emerging designer.
A few weeks later, Donatella Versace herself crowned him winner of the Woolmark Prize. Six sculptural, knitted, committed silhouettes: Duran Lantink proves he knows how to handle audacity as well as technique.
Ethics as creative DNA
But if the Lantink hype is catching on, it’s also because of his deep commitment. A graduate of the Gerrit Rietveld Academie and then the Sandberg Instituut, he was supported from the outset by Walter Van Beirendonck. In 2018, he shocked the world with his vulva pants for Janelle Monáe, asserting a provocative, inclusive and joyfully political aesthetic.
Launched in 2019, his label is based on assertive upcycling. Each piece tells a story of transformation: textile scraps become dresses, army jackets become suits. A hybrid, voluminous, ironic wardrobe – post-modern luxury.
A rumor that is spreading in Paris…
His name is already circulating as a potential successor to Jean Paul Gaultier‘s artistic direction. False lead or real discussion? Impossible to confirm, but one thing’s for sure: Parisian fashion has its eyes on him.
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