Kris Van Assche is reintroducing his signature label — in a newfangled way, and for men and women, WWD has learned.

The Belgian designer — who shuttered his then 10-year-old label in 2015 when he was also creative director of Dior Homme — said the latest chapter will be focused on direct-to-consumer distribution and a “concentrated selection of pieces” made using high-quality deadstock fabrics, meaning smaller quantities and a sense of rarity.

He plans to showcase and sell them starting around mid-September on his relaunched website, krisvanassche.com, where he will also showcase the various design projects that have kept him in the spotlight since parting ways with Berluti in 2021: ceramics for Serax, bronze sculptures with Downtown Gallery, and collaborations with Fred Perry and Chinese activewear giant Anta.

He hinted other collaborations are in the pipeline, and will be featured on the site alongside his namesake collection, which will include some re-editions of key Kris Van Assche styles, some “recognizable signature pieces” and a host of new designs for women and men.

Confirming the new project exclusively to WWD, the affable designer also shared three teaser images, which suggest a dressed-up, tailored direction for men, and dressmaking with a sensual bent for women.

One shot depicts a single rose stem, sheathed in plastic and tied with a ribbon that reads “write more love letters,” revealing his penchant for flowers, romance and storytelling.

Working with a very small team, Van Assche was adamant about a tight edit rather than a large collection, though he ended up with roughly 40 styles across jackets, shirts, trousers, skirts, dresses and knitwear.

“What I’m doing now is very much smaller scale, not imposing myself an agenda, doing things in-house,” he said.

He described the label’s positioning as designer, but with pricing at the lower end of that spectrum, with shirts around 400 to 500 euros and jackets starting around 1,000 euros.

Although he graduated in 1998 from Antwerp’s famous Royal Academy of Fine Arts with a womenswear degree, Van Assche has dedicated most of his career to menswear, famously at Dior Homme, which he headed for 11 years, followed by three years designing Berluti.

He dabbled in womenswear with his signature brand between 2008 and 2010, and is eager to express himself again in that category.

At the time of his label’s shutdown, Van Assche shipped his signature collection to about 130 doors across 32 countries, with the business concentrated in Asia — mainly Japan and Hong Kong — followed by Europe and North America. He also operated one freestanding store in Paris that went dark.

The first iteration of the Kris Van Assche brand was hinged on youthful tailoring and loads of athletic and workwear influences. The label also became known for high-top sneakers and backpacks.

The designer was one of the first to finish off men’s suits with athletic footwear; make elastic-waisted, sweatpant-like wool trousers; sock-like shoes, and hourglass-shaped jackets.

Van Assche hinted his time away from the front lines of luxury fashion has given him a new, fresh perspective and new impulses.

Indeed, he confessed to the same feeling he had when he first launched his signature brand in 2005 — not being able to find what he wants to wear on the market.

“So I really designed out of personal needs, and then of course women’s comes on top of that,” he said. “I find my proposition to be quite right for now.”