Dries Van Noten names Moncler executive Adrian Ward-Rees president

By Marcus Bennett

Dries Van Noten logged double-digit revenue growth in the first half of 2026, ahead of parent Puig’s 4.4% like-for-like increase, and appointed Adrian Ward-Rees president effective Dec. 1.

Ward-Rees succeeds Axel Keller, who steps down after five years as president. Dries Van Noten said in a brief Friday-morning statement that Keller will remain through year-end to support the handover.

The announcement provided no appointment fee, compensation terms, order commitments, sourcing changes or supplier-payment shifts. It also gave no margin, factory-capacity, lead-time or certification data.

Who is Adrian Ward-Rees, and what does he bring?

Ward-Rees joins the Antwerp-based fashion house from Moncler Grenoble, where he has served as chief business officer since October 2024. He graduated from the University of Surrey in the U.K.

His career includes Amiri, Burberry, Dior Homme, Speedo and Nike, according to his LinkedIn profile. He also worked for retailers Selfridges and Lane Crawford. The announcement does not connect those roles to a specific Dries Van Noten supplier, category or regional target.

What did Keller deliver?

Dries Van Noten said:

“During his tenure, Axel worked closely with the leadership and creative teams to support the development of the house’s retail, wholesale and digital activities, strengthen its international presence and expand its accessories offering.”

Keller oversaw new flagship stores in New York and London. He also oversaw beauty and accessories “Gallery” stores in Paris, Brussels, Milan and Kyoto.

The statement links Keller’s tenure to both flagship and Gallery openings. It gives no opening dates, floor areas, sales targets, franchise ownership or store-level profitability. For channel teams, the confirmed record shows expansion across six cities, but not the capital required or the sales contribution from each site.

How did the creative transition shape his role?

Dries Van Noten said:

“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. Working closely with the teams, he helped ensure continuity throughout this period and supported the beginning of a new creative chapter.”

Ward-Rees therefore arrives after the house reset its creative leadership in 2024. Keller’s year-end support creates an overlap between the outgoing and incoming presidents, but the statement sets no decision-rights timetable for merchandising, design or sourcing.

How strong are the revenue figures?

Parent company Puig does not break down sales by brand. Dries Van Noten supplied only a directional result: double-digit revenue growth in the first half of 2026, ahead of Puig’s overall 4.4% like-for-like uptick.

That outperformance is clear. Its operating meaning is not. The announcement gave no absolute sales, unit volume, comparable-store growth, channel mix, gross margin or regional contribution. Puig’s 4.4% measure is like-for-like, while the brand disclosure uses revenue growth, so the two figures do not support an exact growth-rate spread.

Brand and sourcing teams cannot determine whether the increase came from stores, wholesale, digital or accessories. Nor does it show whether price, product mix or input costs moved. No order-book value, inventory plan or sell-through metric accompanies the result.

What should suppliers and brand teams watch?

• Channel execution: The statement identifies retail, wholesale and digital development as core work under Keller. It assigns no new channel targets to Ward-Rees.
• Retail footprint: Keller oversaw two flagship openings and four Gallery-store openings. No further locations or opening schedule were announced for the incoming president.
• Accessories: Dries Van Noten says the offering expanded under Keller. It disclosed no product categories, supplier changes, volume targets or margin structure.
• Sourcing and compliance: No factory, material, capacity, certification, lead-time or payment-term change accompanies the appointment. The announcement also does not specify who will carry new inventory or assume markdown risk.

The Dec. 1 leadership transfer is confirmed. The commercial plan beyond it remains unannounced, with no new orders, sourcing obligations or financial targets disclosed.

For brand and sourcing teams, the next checkpoint is how Ward-Rees prioritizes wholesale, digital, international stores and accessories. He must build on first-half 2026 growth that outpaced Puig while turning Keller’s expansion record into clearer operating and sourcing terms.