FASHIONMOODBOARD.COM — OWENS BY OWENS: CREATOR OF LOVE — JUNE 24, 2025 — By LOIC PRIGENT

THE PALAIS GALLIERA OPENS ITS DOORS TO THE ICONIC AND FANTASTIC WORK OF RICK OWENS IN A SENSATIONAL EXHIBITION TITLED RICK OWENS, TEMPLE OF LOVE, FROM JUNE 28, 2025, TO JANUARY 4, 2026… SO WE'RE TALKING MORNING GLORIES, JOSEPH BEUYS, HOLLYWOOD BOULEVARD, AND LEATHER NIPPLE COVERS WITH RINGS, BUT ALSO MUCH MORE THAN THAT, BECAUSE RICK OWENS, BY VISITING THIS EXHIBITION WITH US, UNVEILS HIS WORLDS AND A PARADOXICAL, NOSTALGIC YET FORWARD-LOOKING WAY OF LIVING HIS CREATIONS.

MOODBOARD: IS THIS EXHIBITION A GIGANTIC PERFORMANCE?

RICK OWENS: YES, IT IS! THE WHOLE THING IS JUST A PERFORMANCE. WE EVEN COVERED THE STATUES IN THE GARDEN WITH BOXES.

M: FOR THE FIRST TIME, PALAIS GALLIERA IS DISRUPTING ITS CODES SO MUCH. DID THIS FORM OF TOTAL ART ENCOUNTER DIFFICULTIES?

RO: YES. I WANTED TO BOX IN THE GARDEN FOUNTAIN IN AN OBELISK, BUT IT DIDN'T WORK. TECHNICALLY, IT WASN'T REALLY BEAUTIFUL. WE HAD TO LEAVE THEM OPEN FOR THE WATER TO FLOW. THE METAL STRUCTURE LOOKED UNFINISHED. SO, I REALIZED WE WEREN'T GOING TO FIND A GREAT RESULT THE FOLLOWING WEEK. SO I CANCELED IT. SO, NOT ALL IDEAS WORK! SOMETIMES YOU HAVE TO THROW IDEAS AWAY. I THROW THEM AWAY ALL THE TIME.

M: WHO ARE THESE GIANTS?

RO: AMONG THEM IS A STATUE OF SAINT GENEVIEVE ON THE PONT DE LA TOURNELLE QUAY, IN AN ART DECO STYLE. THESE ARE TOTEMS WHOSE FORMS I HAVE OFTEN REVISITED. WHEN I REVIEW EVERYTHING I'VE PREPARED IN THE EXHIBITION CATALOG, ALL THE IMAGES, I REALIZE IT. ONE OF THE FIRST THINGS I DID ON HOLLYWOOD BOULEVARD WAS THAT CAPE MADE OF MILITARY BLANKETS WITH STRONG SHOULDERS. IT'S SOMETHING I CONTINUE TO DO.

M: DO YOU STILL HAVE IT?

RO: I LOST THAT CAPE BECAUSE I NEVER KEPT ARCHIVES. WHO THOUGHT ABOUT ARCHIVES BACK THEN? I WAS THINKING ABOUT SURVIVAL, THAT'S ALL. LAST FALL, I REMADE THOSE MILITARY BLANKET CAPES FOR THE COLLECTION. I PHOTOGRAPHED THEM. TODAY, IT HAS BECOME THE MOTIF OF THE EXHIBITION. THAT FORM WAS THERE FROM THE BEGINNING. I ALSO USED IT FOR THE POSTER. I ALSO ADDED SEQUINS BECAUSE... WHY NOT!

M: CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT THE GARDEN?

RO: FOR THE GARDEN, WE BUILT THIS TRELLIS ON WHICH I HOPE THE BLUE MORNING GLORIES WILL CLIMB. MORNING GLORIES ARE WILD FLOWERS THAT GROW IN CALIFORNIA. THEY ARE FLOWERS THAT GROW IN ABUNDANCE. THESE LIGHT BLUE FLOWERS ARE SO BEAUTIFUL, SO INNOCENT, AND SO MODEST. I LOVED THEM AS A CHILD BECAUSE THEY GREW IN THE FIELDS AROUND MY PARENTS' HOUSE WHERE I GREW UP. WHEN WE MOVED TO HOLLYWOOD BOULEVARD, THE SIDE STREET WAS VERY ISOLATED, INFESTED, AND DIRTY.

IN THE ALLEY BEHIND, I PLANTED MORNING GLORY SEEDS THAT EXPLODED INTO A CANOPY OVER THAT ALLEY WHERE WE USED TO SHOWER. THOSE MORNING GLORIES ARE STILL THERE. THEY STILL BURST WITH LIGHT. I THOUGHT IT WOULD BE NICE TO BRING THEM HERE. FROM PORTERVILLE TO HOLLYWOOD, TO PARIS, I THOUGHT IT WAS A BEAUTIFUL STORY.

M: TELL US ABOUT THE CREATIVE PROCESS WITH THE GARDENERS.

RO: I HAD AN APPOINTMENT WITH THE GARDENERS, AND I TOLD THEM I ONLY WANTED MORNING GLORIES. THEY TOLD ME: "IF YOU DO THAT, MAYBE THE MORNING GLORIES WON'T BLOOM, THAT CAN HAPPEN." USUALLY, THEY PLANT A DIVERSITY OF PLANTS TO ENSURE THEIR HOLD AND BLOOMING. SO I ASKED: "HOW MANY VARIETIES OF FLOWERS DO YOU NEED?" ANSWER: "57!" THEY LET ME REDUCE IT TO ABOUT TWENTY. I TRIED TO KEEP EVERYTHING BLUE. THAT WAS OUR NEGOTIATION. LIKE A COMPROMISE. WE SELL MORNING GLORY SEEDS AT THE GIFT SHOP.

M: JOSEPH BEUYS INFLUENCED YOU A LOT. CAN YOU TALK ABOUT THE REFERENCE TO THIS ARTIST, INSTALLED IN THE EXHIBITION?

RO: IT'S A JOSEPH BEUYS INSTALLATION FROM A 1970S PERFORMANCE WHOSE IMAGE I KEPT WHEN I WAS A YOUNG ART STUDENT. IT WAS HIM, WEARING HIS HAT AND JACKET, HOLDING SYMBOLS IN FRONT OF A WHITE HORSE DURING AN ACTION IN GERMANY TITLED: IPHIGENIA. THERE WILL BE A VIDEO OF HIS PERFORMANCE IN THE EXHIBITION. HE WAS MY FIRST ARTISTIC HERO. THAT'S WHY I USE GRAY FELT ALL THE TIME. SO, THIS ENTIRE SPACE IN THE FIRST ROOM OF THE EXHIBITION IS LINED WITH GRAY FELT.

M: WHY DID HE RESONATE WITH YOU?

RO: HIS ART WENT BEYOND THE CANVAS. HE ENTERED INTO PERFORMANCE, INTO A DIFFERENT WAY OF LIFE. IT WAS MYTHOLOGICAL, ROMANTIC, MORAL, AND VERY POETIC. HE WAS VERY ATTRACTIVE IN THE WAY HIS PERSONAL APPEARANCE MATCHED HIS AESTHETIC. THE STORY WAS COMPLETE AND IN-DEPTH. THERE WAS SOMETHING HEROIC, BUT ALWAYS ALIENATED. HIS COMMITMENT WAS DEEP AND PURE FROM BEGINNING TO END. MICHÈLE ALWAYS TELLS ME: "YOU ONLY LIKE DEAD ARTISTS." YES! I WANT TO SEE THE COMPLETE STORY. I WANT TO SEE THAT ARTISTS MAINTAINED THEIR STANDARDS FROM BEGINNING TO END, AND THAT THEY DIDN'T CHANGE COURSE. SOME CONTEMPORARY ARTISTS ARE NOT COMPLETELY RESOLVED OR COMPLETELY FORMED. AND I'M NOT READY TO COMMIT TO THEM EMOTIONALLY.

M: CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT THE DOCUMENTS PRESENTED IN THE AXIAL ROOM WHERE THE URINATING STATUE IS LOCATED?

RO: IT WAS MY FIRST EDITORIAL FOR INTERVIEW MAGAZINE. RICK CASTRO AND MICHI TOMIMATSU WERE PARTNERS AND STYLISTS. I WAS MAKING NIPPLE RINGS, THAT'S WHY THEY'RE THERE. FROM THE BEGINNING OF MY CAREER, THERE'S BEEN THIS FETISHISTIC ASPECT.

M: WHAT DOES A NIPPLE RING LOOK LIKE?

RO: THEY WERE RINGS MOUNTED ON LEATHER NIPPLE COVERS.

M: IS THIS YOUR FIRST DESIGN?

RO: IT'S ONE OF THE FIRST THINGS I SOLD THAT GOT PUBLISHED. THAT WAS IN 1986. BEFORE I MADE COLLECTIONS, I DESIGNED SMALL WEIRD THINGS LIKE THAT. I SOLD THEM IN A STRANGE STORE ON MELROSE. IT WAS PART OF THE NIGHTCLUB COMMUNITY. IT WAS MORE OF A GAY SUBCULTURE, IT HADN'T REALLY REACHED THE MAINSTREAM.

M: CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT YOUR PENTAGRAMS?

RO: WE DID IT FOR THE MEN'S SHOW AT THE LIDO DURING COVID. I DON'T LIKE EXPLAINING THINGS, BUT I'M GOING TO BECAUSE I THINK PEOPLE MISINTERPRET THEM. I USE THE PENTAGRAM AS AN ANTI-MORALISTIC SYMBOL. IT'S MY PLAYFUL RESPONSE TO CONTEMPT FOR OTHERNESS. I LIKE GEOMETRIC SYMBOLS. THEY REPRESENT THE EFFORTS MAN MAKES TO CREATE A SENSE OF ORDER IN THE FACE OF UNCERTAINTY AND FEAR. DRAWING A STAR FEELS LIKE A MAGICAL RITE. MAKING IT PHALLIC, BY ELONGATING ITS POINT, GIVES IT A JOYOUS SIDE. OF COURSE, "PHALLIC" HAS A DOUBLE MEANING HERE.

M: DO YOU WEAR THEM?

RO: I DON'T REALLY WEAR UNDERWEAR, BUT I SOMETIMES WEAR THEM TO SWIM AT THE LIDO.

M: WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO PROJECT ON THESE SCREENS?

RO: THERE ARE FIFTEEN VIDEO SCREENS THAT WILL SHOW THE "BUTT MUSCLE" VIDEO. THERE'S ALSO A VIDEO OF ME DYEING MY HAIR. A VIDEO OF ONE OF MY TEAM MEMBERS WHO HAD GLUED THE TWO LOGOS ON HIS BUTT. IN THE VIDEO, HE OPENS HIS BUTT TO SHOW THE LABEL INSIDE. THERE'S A VIDEO OF ME GETTING F*ED BY A HORSE. THERE'S A VIDEO FROM MY ONLYFANS THAT I RECENTLY OPENED. IT'S DEDICATED TO MY FEET. I HAD SOCKS WITH "SO" ON ONE, "CUNT" ON THE OTHER. LAST SUMMER, I GOT "SO CUNT" TATTOOED ON MY FEET. SO, I OPENED AN ONLYFANS JUST TO SHOW MY FEET IN DIFFERENT SITUATIONS. THE PROFITS WILL BE DONATED TO ALLANAH'S HOUSE, WHICH WELCOMES STRUGGLING YOUNG TRANS PEOPLE.

M: THE LAST ROOM OF THE EXHIBITION IS A COPY OF YOUR SELF-DESIGNED BED. WILL YOU COME AND SLEEP HERE ONE NIGHT?

RO: NO, PROBABLY NOT. BUT IT'S STRANGE TO COME IN HERE BECAUSE IT'S VERY SIMILAR. THE PROPORTIONS ARE A LITTLE DIFFERENT, BUT IT'S LIKE A BIZARRE DÉJÀ VU.

M: DESCRIBE THIS PAINTING YOU MADE FOR MICHÈLE LAMY.

RO: IT'S A PAINTING FROM 1998. MICHÈLE'S BIRTHDAY IS FEBRUARY 5TH. THE PAINTING IS MADE ON OLD BLANKETS WITH BLACK HOUSE PAINT. THE INSPIRATION COMES FROM AN OLD PHOTO OF HER WITH HÉLÈNE HAZERA, A TRANS FRIEND SHE USED TO HAVE FUN WITH WHEN THEY WERE YOUNG. WHEN WE MOVED TO PARIS, WE LEFT EVERYTHING BEHIND. EVERYTHING WAS GONE. SO WE HAD TO REPRODUCE IT. THE RESULT IS EXCELLENT. I WENT TO ART SCHOOL BECAUSE I WANTED TO BE AN ARTIST, AT THE OTIS ART INSTITUTE OF THE PARSONS SCHOOL OF DESIGN IN LOS ANGELES. I KEPT SOME PROJECTS AT MY PARENTS' HOUSE. THEN, WHEN MY PARENTS PASSED AWAY, I HAD EVERYTHING SHIPPED TO CONCORDIA, WHERE WE CERTAINLY STILL HAVE SOME PIECES. EVERYTHING IS STORED UNDER BLANKETS, IN A DARK CORNER. I DON'T WANT TO LOOK AT THEM AGAIN.

M: WHAT DO YOU LIKE MOST ABOUT THIS COLLABORATION WITH ALEXANDRE SAMSON, THE CURATOR IN CHARGE OF THE EXHIBITION AT PALAIS GALLIERA?

RO: IT WAS FUN TO TRUST! I WOULD NEVER HAVE DONE THIS PROJECT IF I HADN'T SEEN GOOD EXAMPLES OF PAST EXHIBITIONS. THE PALAIS GALLIERA HAS HELD SOME OF MY FAVORITE EXHIBITIONS. SEEING THEIR EXQUISITE DOCUMENTATION ON FASHION HISTORY AND EVERYTHING IT COVERS SO DEEPLY, I HAD TO SUBMIT AND GIVE UP A LOT OF CONTROL. ALEXANDRE SAMSON MUST BE LAUGHING BECAUSE I PROBABLY DIDN'T SUBMIT AT ALL LIKE I THOUGHT I WOULD. BUT I PROBABLY WILL OVER TIME.

M: WHAT SATISFIED YOU ABOUT THIS PROJECT?

RO: EVERYTHING! BEING ABLE TO PUT MYSELF IN A POSITION OF TRUST WHERE I'M NOT AFRAID THAT THINGS WILL BE MISINTERPRETED OR TRANSLATED THE WRONG WAY. EVERYTHING WENT SO WELL. IT'S VERY SATISFYING TO BE ABLE TO SEE WHAT ARE CONSIDERED YOUR SUCCESSES IN A SOLID EXHIBITION. WE OFTEN FORGET. WE LIVE IN THE MOMENT. TO SEE ALL THESE PIECES TOGETHER IS THRILLING. EVEN MORE SO IN SUCH AN IMPORTANT FASHION VENUE AS THE PALAIS GALLIERA.

M: WHY DID YOU WANT US TO SEARCH YOUR ROOM AT THE END OF THE EXHIBITION?

RO: INITIALLY, I ASKED ALEXANDRE SAMSON: "WHAT'S YOUR WISH LIST FOR THIS PROJECT?" HE REALLY WANTED TO FOCUS ON THE BEGINNING OF THE BRAND FROM THE PERIOD LIVED ON HOLLYWOOD BOULEVARD. WE DIDN'T HAVE MANY ARCHIVES OR RECORDS, SO WE HAD TO DO SOME RESEARCH. THIS SPACE TRULY REPRESENTS THE BEGINNING OF THE FURNITURE COLLECTION. THIS BED IS THE FIRST PIECE MICHÈLE LAMY AND I REALLY BUILT TOGETHER. WE CONTINUE TO BUILD IT IN ALABASTER, IN FELT. IT WAS REALLY THE HEART OF EVERYTHING THAT HAPPENED AFTERWARD. IT'S ALSO TO EMPHASIZE THE IDEA THAT EVERYTHING HAS BEEN A CONSTANT STORY FROM THE VERY BEGINNING. AND TO MAKE IT AS PERSONAL AS POSSIBLE, I SUPPOSE. I NEVER DREAMED THIS BIG.

M: YOU ARE ONE OF THE MOST IMAGINATIVE MEN OUT THERE, THOUGH!

RO: IN MY CHILDHOOD (IT'S NOT LIKE WE ALWAYS TRAVELED) IT WASN'T AN OPTION. SO, I REALLY HAD TO FORCE MYSELF, BECAUSE EXPLORING AND EXPERIMENTING WERE NOT IN MY NATURE. THERE WAS FEAR, CAUTION, AND SHAME IN ME, ESPECIALLY BECAUSE I LIVED IN A SMALL CONSERVATIVE TOWN. I REMEMBER MORE OF A GENERAL OPPRESSIVE STATE. I ALWAYS COMPLAIN ABOUT MY FATHER'S STRICTNESS, BUT HE ALSO HAD AN IMMENSE LIBRARY AND A MAGNIFICENT KNOWLEDGE OF MUSIC. IT'S THANKS TO HIM THAT I KNEW PROUST AS A CHILD. I DIDN'T REALLY READ HIM, BUT HIS NOVELS WERE PRESENT IN HIS LIBRARY. I STUDIED HIM IN A WAY. IN MY OPINION, HE WAS THE PINNACLE OF FIN-DE-SIÈCLE GLAMOUR. AS AN AMERICAN, I INTERPRETED MY FASCINATION WITH EUROPEAN COMPLEXITY AND THE DENSITY OF PARISIAN GLAMOUR'S LAYERS. THEN, I REDUCED IT TO A CRUDE AMERICAN CARICATURE. I THINK THAT'S PART OF MY METHOD.

M: WHY ARE YOU SELLING A TOOTHBRUSH IN THE EXHIBITION SHOP?

RO: WHY NOT! THERE'S MOUTHWASH, TOOTHPASTE, A TOOTHBRUSH, AND MOUTH SPRAY. I WROTE A STORY ABOUT MY DAILY LIFE IN A MAGAZINE IN WHICH I SAID: "I BRUSH MY TEETH WITH SELAHATTIN TOOTHPASTE BECAUSE I LOVE THEIR PACKAGING," WHICH WAS TRUE. THEN, ON INSTAGRAM, I SAW A SELAHATTIN AD WITH MY BLURRED FACE AND MY QUOTE OVER IT. I THOUGHT THAT WAS BOLD. I CONTACTED THEM AND COMPLIMENTED THEM ON THEIR CHEEKINESS. I TOLD THEM: "WE SHOULD DO A COLLABORATION!" THAT'S HOW WE GOT HERE. I LOVE THE DESIGNER. THE REASON HE CREATED HIS BRAND IS THAT HE HAD A STROKE. DURING HIS RECOVERY, HE WANTED THE MOST ESSENTIAL THINGS AROUND HIM TO BE MAGNIFIED. I ALSO BELIEVE IN THE IDEA THAT YOU DON'T NEED TO HAVE MANY THINGS, BUT THAT ESSENTIAL THINGS SHOULD BE MADE SPECIAL.

M: CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT THESE GIGANTIC TABLES?

RO: THESE TABLES ARE FACSIMILES OF THE TABLE I HAD IN THE HOLLYWOOD BOULEVARD STUDIO. AT THE TIME, THESE TABLES WERE MADE FROM WOOD FOUND IN THE STREET. THE STUDIO ONLY HAD ONE TABLE, AS YOU CAN SEE IN THIS PHOTO. THERE WAS A MANNEQUIN HANGING OVER IT. HERE, WE MADE TWO WITH INTEGRATED LIGHT TO SHOW ALL THE DOCUMENTS ARRANGED ON THEM. WHEN WE MOVED, WE LEFT THE TABLE THERE. I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT HAPPENED TO IT SINCE.

M: ARE YOU A NOSTALGIC PERSON?

RO: YES, I CONSIDER MYSELF VERY NOSTALGIC.

M: WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE PART OF THIS EXHIBITION?

RO: THERE'S A JACKET THAT LEMARIÉ MADE WITH HAND-TIED OSTRICH FEATHERS. IT'S ONE OF MY FAVORITE THINGS. AND FOR SOME REASON, MICHÈLE (LAMY) CAN'T STAND THEM. SHE HATES FEATHERS.