Highsnobiety Guide – Sneek Peak

RICK OWENS
Colloquially known as
“The Dark Lord of
Fashion” by his dedicated
stable of acolytes,
American designer Rick
Owens has created
a brand universe
composed of exaggerated
proportions, aggressive
silhouettes, memorable
fashion shows—and
of course, plenty of black.
Born in 1962 in the relatively small California
town of Porterville, Rick Owens was surprisingly
reared in a conservative Catholic household.
After graduating high school, he studied fashion
design at the Otis College of Art and Design and
took up pattern-making and draping courses at
the Los Angeles Trade-Technical College. One
of his first jobs in the garment industry involved
making illegal designer clothing facsimiles.
By the time he launched his eponymous
clothing line in 1994, he was heavily influenced
by L.A.’s underground subcultures. He got
involved in the punk and skinhead scene, which is
why his clothes are a paean to and celebration of
the alternative subcultures he grew up with. His
clothing is known for its plays on proportion—
elongated T-shirts that extend beyond the knee,
drop-crotch trousers with extremely skinny legs,
and basketball sneakers designed to look like
“monster trucks for your feet,” as he described
them in a 2015 Complex interview.
Part auteur, part-provocateur, Rick
Owens is known for fashion shows that double as
spectacles. His Fall/Winter 2015 “SPHINX” show
featured a look that exposed a model’s penis from
the neck of a sweater strategically tied around his
waist. A year later, at his Spring/Summer 2016
“CYCLOPS” collection, he famously punched a
model who tried to ruin the show by holding a
self-made sign threatening German Chancellor
Angela Merkel. One of his inspirations is French
fashion designer Claude Montana, known for his
exquisite leather pieces.
His attention to detail and control of
brand narrative is especially vital to the fashion
world Rick Owens has built. Owens himself, a
muscular figure with sharp, grotesque features
that have been compared to an Egon Schiele
painting, portrays a confident sense of dark
beauty. He is the best model and brand ambassador
for his designs, though his partner and
muse, Michele Lamy, is equally known for her
ability to carry a room and a charisma that
makes you want to sit at their table.
Owens’ take on the classic bomber
jacket has undergone numerous reiterations,
from oversized and cropped to extremely tapered
to elongated like a topcoat. What remains
the same is the signature attitude and
dark energy that he brings to the clothes. It’s
easy to make goatskin leather look tough, but
especially difficult to bring ruggedness to materials
like silk or cotton poplin. That certainly
hasn’t stopped Rick Owens, and military-inspired
outerwear will continue to be an important
platform for his design ethos. Below, he
explains why he keeps revisiting the MA-1 jacket
in particular.
Rick Owens’ eponymous furniture line is designed
by his muse, Michele Lamy.
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