The Belgian fashion designer Dries Van Noten has announced he is stepping down as creative director of his fashion label this summer.

Van Noten, 65, is set to leave after the next Paris fashion week menswear show in June.

Known for his luxurious colours and avant garde styles, Van Noten began as part of the so-called Antwerp Six who trained at the city’s Royal Academy of Fine Arts in the 1980s. Other members included Walter Van Beirendonck and Ann Demeulemeester.

In a statement, Van Noten said his career had been “a dream come true”.

“I want to shift my focus to all the things I never had time for. I’m sad, but at the same time, happy,” he said.

Van Noten added that his successor would be announced “in due time”, and his studio team would handle the next womenswear collection.

“I have been preparing for this moment for a while, and I feel it’s time to leave room for a new generation of talents to bring their vision to the brand,” Van Noten said.

DVN, as he is known, sold a majority stake in his label to the Spanish conglomerate Puig in 2018, but had remained chair of the board and creative director.