There’s something timeless about a rebel like Rick Owens, the dark priest of underground chic. He walks the shadowy tightrope between elegance and chaos with an uncanny grace embodied in the movement of the clothes themselves: monochrome material shifting like tentacles under the placid surface of a quiet pool. Fashion’s flirtation with danger is realized in Owens’ oeuvre, a collection of dark basics worn by legendary rockers like Madonna, Rihanna, and Courtney Love. His aesthetic lends itself to those who live on the edge.

A California native, Owens grew up in a small agricultural town outside of Los Angeles. As an only child, he had a very sheltered childhood, during which time he was not allowed to watch TV or engage with popular culture. A precocious child, Owens was different from his peers at Catholic school. He found himself an outsider in his community; the pain of rejection would later translate into his rebellious teen years in the LA punk scene. Enraptured with Iggy Pop and Alice Cooper, he struggled to hide his bisexuality from his conservative father, and delved deeper into the club scene. Though it was a dark time in Owens’ life, this “history of damage” is still of paramount importance in his work, but he has since learned to accept his differences. “I don’t punish myself anymore for having made mistakes,” he says. “I don’t punish myself for not having been perfect. It all happened for a reason. It was all fine. I’m fine. I’m not perfect and I don’t have to be. And neither does anyone else” (Frankel, 2011).

It seems only fitting that Owens’ career has taken an unusual course. He got his start at Otis College of Art and Design, but later dropped out to work for various sportswear and knock-off companies. In an interview with The Independent, Owens reflects on this time with a sardonic smile. “I learned how to cut patterns with all these Korean ladies: not glamorous. I didn’t grow up in the industry, like Marc Jacobs or Halston. I worked for knock-off companies in LA. I knocked off patterns for years” (Frankel, 2011). Yet in the midst of all the knockoffs, Owens developed an original style: a line of asymmetrical silhouettes with elongated sleeves, paired with washed leather jackets and the occasional fur. It may not have been glamorous then, but his time in the garment industry enhanced his mystique as well as his skill. As he told The New Yorker in 2008, "You can't convincingly get abstract until you really know the fundamentals" (Colapinto, 2008).

This unconventional career path eventually led Owens to Michele Lamy, an enigmatic Frenchwoman who ran a sportswear company in addition to several prominent nightclubs. Once Owens joined the company, their partnership grew into a lasting romance. Lamy made Owens’ style visible in the LA club scene, and soon celebrities began to take notice. The celebrated fashion buyer Charles Gallay became one of Owens’ first patrons, and paid for half of his collections up front. By the early 2000s, several department stores began to carry the Rick Owens label, including Maxfield, Henri Bendel and Barneys New York (Vougepedia). In 2001 Owens and Lamy moved to Paris where they now own a five-story mansion in the seventh arrondissement. The 17th century building is as much as a living legend as its inhabitants – once the former Socialist Party Headquarters, it has been “stripped down to the bones and left with exposed wires and all” (Browne, 2009). It is this same raw sensibility that infuses his new line of furniture, inspired by Brutalist architecture and the contemporary sculptures of Constantin Brancusi. In addition to his new project, Owens maintains men’s and women’s ready-to-wear lines, the more accessible Rick Owens Lilies and Drkshdw, and now a fine fur collection at Revillon where he is an artistic director (Blanks, 2014).

Owens has developed a reputation for his unorthodox runway shows. He looks back on his early presentations with discomfort: “I cringe when I look at the early Paris shows because I was trying to entertain, to be something I’m not. We know how to do it now” (Frankel, 2011). Owens has stayed true to himself in recent years with more intimate staging, industrial venues and unconventional models. The 2014 Spring RTW show featured a “step team” of multi-racial women, whose bodily dimensions and agitated movements sought to defy the typical standards of a high-fashion presentation. Though the event was controversial, it brought much-needed attention to the issues surrounding diversity in the fashion industry, and the portrayal of “everyday women” as fierce and fashion-worthy entities

The 2014 FW show included elements of fetishism and bondage, and highlighted members of Owens’ own creative “tribe” as models (WWD). In a shocking turn of events, this show promoted not a message of anarchy, but one of love, protection, and connectivity. Before the show, he addressed his models with a surprisingly sweet message, “Try and enjoy the serene benevolence of presenting a story of love.” In an interview with Style.com, he explained, “I’m getting all New Agey in my own, abstract, do-it-yourself way” (Blanks, 2014). Owens may be trying new things, but he has lost none of his fire. This collection stayed true to his aesthetic, featuring motocross leather pants, monochrome printed shifts and amped-up accessories.

            Owens is an anomaly in that his mystique has not faded with age. Indeed he continues to push boundaries with the sophistication that comes with knowing oneself and staying true to an inner vision. An artist of Owens’ integrity is a true rebel in today’s fast-paced consumer culture; where many designers would choose to sacrifice their creativity for profit, his voice remains strong. Here it seems appropriate to let the designer speak for himself.

            “We're people who have been given an opportunity to express ourselves and to create. This is after years of reading, years of exploring, years of self-destructing. Especially as a reflection of the latter, this is the opposite of that. This is composing, making something instead of degenerating and why wouldn't I want to commit to that? I'm not taking it for granted. I'm lucky because I was in the right place, with the right people, at the right time. That kind of opportunity doesn't come along very often so, as long as you have it, take full advantage. I truly love what I'm doing" (Frankel, 2011).

Bibliography

Blanks, Tim. “Fall 2014 Ready-To-Wear: Rick Owens.” Style.com, February 27, 2014.    Accessed April 1, 2014. http://www.style.com/fashionshows/review/F2014RTW-    ROWENS/

Browne, Alix. “Profile in Style: Rick Owens.” The New York Times, T Magazine, September 11, 2009. Accessed March 25, 2014.             http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/13/style/tmagazine/13collage.html?_r=5&

Colapinto, John. “Elegant Monsters.” The New Yorker, March 10, 2008.

Frankel, Susannah. “Rick Owens: The prince of dark design.” The Independent, March      26, 2011. Accessed March 25, 2014. http://www.independent.co.uk/life-   style/fashion/features/rick-owens-the-prince-of-dark-design-2250838.html

Voguepedia. “Rick Owens.” Accessed March 25, 2014.       http://www.vogue.com/voguepedia/Rick_Owens

Women’s Wear Daily. “Rick Owens RTW Fall 2014.” February 27, 2014. Accessed         April 1, 2014. http://www.wwd.com/runway/fall-ready-to-wear-2014/review/rick-        owens?src=search_links