Dries Van Noten names Moncler executive Adrian Ward-Rees president

Adrian Ward-Rees becomes president of Dries Van Noten on 1 December, taking over from Axel Keller, who is leaving after five years at the helm. Ward-Rees arrives from Moncler Grenoble, where he has been chief business officer since October 2024.

Dries Van Noten, the Belgian house founded in 1986 and based in Antwerp, makes luxury ready-to-wear and accessories. Puig does not break out sales by brand, but the house logged double-digit revenue growth in the first half of 2026, outpacing the group's 4.4 percent like-for-like uptick.

A graduate of the University of Surrey in the U.K., Ward-Rees has spent his career across a broad span of fashion. His LinkedIn profile lists Amiri, Burberry, Dior Homme, Speedo and Nike among the brands, alongside the retailers Selfridges and Lane Crawford.

The outgoing president's record

In a brief statement distributed on Friday morning, the house said Keller would remain until the end of the year to support Ward-Rees during the handover. It credited him with working closely with leadership and creative teams on retail, wholesale and digital activities.

The statement also said Keller strengthened the house's international presence and expanded its accessories offering. During his tenure he oversaw new flagships in New York and London, alongside beauty and accessories "Gallery" stores in Paris, Brussels, Milan and Kyoto, Japan.

"Axel also played a key role in the creative succession of the house, accompanying the appointment of Julian Klausner as creative director in 2024, following Dries Van Noten's decision to step down from the role," the statement said.

"Working closely with the teams, he helped ensure continuity throughout this period and supported the beginning of a new creative chapter," the statement continued. Keller's five years therefore spanned the founder's exit as creative director and the arrival of Klausner.

What Ward-Rees brings from Moncler

Moncler is the Italian luxury brand renowned for its down jackets and outdoor apparel, and Moncler Grenoble is where Ward-Rees has worked for the past two years. He leaves a business whose parent is leaning on other regions for growth.

When we covered Moncler Group's nine-month results, revenue rose 6 percent at constant exchange rates to €1.895 billion. A warm third quarter and slower tourism in Europe knocked the Moncler brand's direct sales, while Asia and the Americas carried the quarter.

The president role at Dries Van Noten is the commercial lead of the house: retail, wholesale and digital activities fall under it, as do the international flagships Keller opened. Ward-Rees's time at Selfridges and Lane Crawford is retail experience of that kind.

His brand-side experience is varied too. Beyond Moncler Grenoble, Ward-Rees has worked at Nike, Dior Homme, Burberry, Speedo and Amiri, a spread that covers sportswear, menswear, heritage outerwear and streetwear-inflected luxury.

Keller's retail build-out is the base Ward-Rees inherits: two flagships in New York and London, and Gallery stores in four further cities. Beauty and accessories are part of those Gallery stores, so the product mix he takes on is wider than clothing alone.

There is also the creative line to manage. Julian Klausner was appointed creative director in 2024 after the founder chose to step down from the role, and the president runs the business side of that new creative chapter.

What comes next

The handover runs through the end of the year, with Keller remaining at the house alongside Ward-Rees, who formally takes the role on 1 December. That gives the house a period of overlap before Keller leaves.

No further details of the appointment, or of Keller's next move, were disclosed. The statement concentrated on continuity and on the retail and accessories foundations laid over the past five years, which Ward-Rees is now expected to build on.

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