DECEMBER 2023
HARPER’S BAZAAR ITALY — ENTER THE SHELL— DECEMBER 2023 — BY DARIA VELEDEEVA
IF THERE WAS ANYONE WHO DIDN'T LIKE COLLABORATIONS, IT WAS RICK OWENS. HOWEVER, HE HAS SINCE HAD A CHANGE OF HEART. THE CALIFORNIAN DESIGNER, WHO NOW RESIDES IN PARIS, HAS BEEN DISRUPTING THE FASHION INDUSTRY SINCE 1994 WITH HIS EXPERIMENTAL AND EDGY DESIGNS. THIS STYLE, ACCORDING TO SOME, IS IDEALLY UNITED WITH THE CONCEPTUAL JAPANESE-ISMS OF THE MIYAKE-KAWAKUBO-YAMAMOTO TRIAD, AND NOW, OWENS SEEMS TO HAVE CULTIVATED A NEW PASSION FOR PARTNERSHIPS, FROM ADIDAS, CONVERSE, BIRKENSTOCK, AND MONCLER. HE’S RECENTLY DESIGNED GARMENTS FOR THE LATTER THAT FUSE HIS ARTISTIC, SENSUAL, AND DARK, ALMOST GOTHIC SENSIBILITY WITH THE ITALIAN BRAND'S ICONIC DOWN JACKETS. WE SPOKE TO OWENS ABOUT IT FROM HIS HOME IN PARIS, WHERE HE SAT SIFTING THROUGH FABRICS FOR AN UPCOMING COLLECTION. HE ARRIVES FROM THE GARDEN, APOLOGIZING FOR BEING LATE BECAUSE HE WAS "COMPLETELY ABSORBED IN WORK," SAYING HE LOST TRACK OF TIME.
LET'S START WITH HIS RADICAL CHANGE IN ATTITUDE TOWARD COLLABORATIONS, WHICH HE HAS BECOME A KING IN....
"LET'S NOT EXAGGERATE; I DON'T THINK I'M THE KING OF ANYTHING. BUT YES, I HAVE FOUND THAT I LIKE THEM. MAYBE A WHILE AGO, I WAS TOO SUSPICIOUS OF THEM. I WAS AFRAID THAT THEY WERE JUST BEING USED FOR HYPE, AND SUBCONSCIOUSLY, I ALSO FELT THAT MY IDENTITY WAS NOT YET ESTABLISHED AND STABLE ENOUGH, SO I DIDN'T WANT IT TO BE DISTORTED OR CONFUSED WITH THAT OF OTHER COMPANIES. BUT NOW I FEEL LIKE EVERYTHING IS PRETTY CLEAR AND DEFINED. THE PARTNERSHIPS DON’T DISTORT THE FORCE OF WHAT I HAVE CONSTRUCTED; THEY STRENGTHEN IT INSTEAD."
SO, HOW WOULD YOU CHARACTERIZE THEM?
"AS A FUN SURPRISE. WHEN YOU LEARN ABOUT A NEW COLLABORATION, IT'S KIND OF LIKE DISCOVERING A NEW PIECE OF GOSSIP. EVERYONE WANTS TO KNOW WHO'S SLEEPING WITH WHOM, AND THE MEETING BETWEEN TWO BRANDS IS SOMETHING LIKE THAT, AFTER ALL. WITH THIS PERSPECTIVE, I'VE LEARNED TO ENJOY THROWING MYSELF INTO PROJECTS BECAUSE IT'S INTERESTING TO UNDERSTAND HOW OTHERS WORK. IT'S ALSO AN OPPORTUNITY TO MEET NEW PEOPLE. I THINK IT’S CRUCIAL THAT COLLABORATIONS DON’T SEEM 'DESPERATE' OR LIKE PRETEXTS FOR ATTENTION, BUT INSTEAD MAKE SENSE AND APPEAR LOGICAL AND JOYFUL."
WAS THIS THE CASE WITH MONCLER?
"OF COURSE. MONCLER IS A BRAND ALWAYS WILLING TO EXPLORE AND COMMUNICATE, AND APPAREL IS A MEDIUM THAT FULLY INCORPORATES THIS. EVERYONE AT MONCLER HAS AN ADVENTUROUS SPIRIT AND IS EXCITED TO EXPLORE EVERY ASPECT. WE HAD SOME BOLD IDEAS, AND THE COMPANY DIDN'T HESITATE TO APPROVE AND SUPPORT THEM."
THERE WAS A CUSTOMIZED BUS TOUR TO CELEBRATE THE FIRST COLLABORATION IN 2020.
"YES, VERY OFTEN I HAVE IDEAS THAT MAY BE STALLED FOR A WHILE BEFORE BEING REALIZED," HE SAYS. “I’LL EXPLAIN: IT HAD BECOME INCREASINGLY COMPLICATED FOR MY PARENTS TO TRAVEL TO EUROPE, AND I HAD NOT BEEN TO THE UNITED STATES FOR MANY YEARS. HOWEVER, I FELT I SHOULD GO, SO I ASKED MYSELF HOW TO MAKE THIS OCCASION UNFORGETTABLE. THAT'S WHEN I THOUGHT OF A CUSTOMIZED BUS TOUR THAT WOULD ALLOW ME TO LIVE IN MY OWN LITTLE BUBBLE WHEN I WAS MOVING AROUND THE STATES. COINCIDENCE WOULD HAVE IT THAT THE CONTACT WITH MONCLER HAPPENED AROUND THE SAME TIME, SO I THOUGHT I WOULD PRESENT IT TO THEM AND COMBINE THE TWO IDEAS. THEY WERE DELIGHTED, AND SO WE DID THE TOUR WITH THEM."
THE LINE BETWEEN HIS FASHION AND CONCEPTUAL ART IS VERY THIN. YOUR FASHION SHOWS AREN’T JUST FASHION SHOWS, BUT PERFORMANCES…
"A KEY FIGURE IN MY INSPIRATION WAS THE GERMAN ARTIST, JOSEPH BEUYS. IN 1974, HE LEFT GERMANY AND LANDED AT JFK. THERE, THEY WRAPPED HIM IN FELT AND PUT HIM IN AN AMBULANCE, WITH WHICH HE WAS SHIPPED TO A NEW YORK GALLERY WHERE HE LIVED FOR THREE DAYS IN A ROOM WITH A COYOTE. THIS PERFORMANCE TITLED I LIKE AMERICA AND AMERICA LIKES ME WAS ABOUT MEETING AND SHARING SPACE WITH A WILD ANIMAL. EVENTUALLY, HE WAS PUT BACK IN THE AMBULANCE, TAKEN BACK TO THE AIRPORT, AND BACK TO GERMANY. IT WAS HIS ONLY EXPERIENCE IN THE UNITED STATES. ITS ROMANCE, DRAMA, STRANGENESS, ISOLATION, AND INTROSPECTION HAVE ALWAYS STRUCK ME. SO, I HAVE TRIED TO USE FELT IN ALL ITS FORMS: AS INSULATION FOR CLOTHING, CARPETS, UPHOLSTERY, OR CURTAINS. MAKING A PROTECTIVE SHELL, A FILTER WITH THE WORLD, HAS ALWAYS BEEN AN AMBITION OF MINE."
KIND OF LIKE THE SLEEPING POD YOU MADE FOR MONCLER'S THE ART OF GENIUS, PRESENTED AT LONDON FASHION WEEK IN FEBRUARY 2023.
"EXACTLY. AT ONE POINT, I CONSIDERED GETTING AN APARTMENT IN NEW YORK, BUT I'M TOO USED TO MY PEACE HERE IN PARIS. IF THERE'S ONE THING I DON'T LIKE IN THE AMERICAN METROPOLIS, IT'S THE CONSTANT ENERGY THAT YOU BREATHE, WHICH IS WHY EVERYONE LOVES THE CITY: TO ME, IT FEELS ARTIFICIAL. I THOUGHT I'D NEED ANOTHER SOLUTION TO DEAL WITH THAT FRENZY IMBUED WITH AMBITION, NECESSITY, AND COMPETITION. SO, I DESIGNED A SOUNDPROOF PANIC ROOM THAT WOULD PROVIDE PEACE OF MIND TO ESTRANGE ONESELF FROM THE SURROUNDING CHAOS, AND WITH IT, I CONCEIVED AN ENTIRE WARDROBE TO LIVE IN. WHEN I ENGAGE IN PROJECTS LIKE THIS, I BUILD A COMPLETE AESTHETIC: FROM THE CLOTHES TO THE SOCKS, FROM THE LIGHT SWITCHES TO THE ENTIRE SPACE, EVERYTHING IS DESIGNED TO CREATE A LIFE-LIKE EXPERIENCE."
SO, HOW DOES YOUR CREATIVE PROCESS UNFOLD?.
“THERE ARE SO MANY INFLUENCES AND SUGGESTIONS COMING FROM THE WORLD. BUT THAT'S EXACTLY WHY SOMETIMES YOU MUST CLOSE YOUR EYES AND ASK YOURSELF: WHAT DO I, MYSELF, WANT TO SEE? WHAT DO I DESIRE? WHAT DO I WANT TO WEAR? BECAUSE WHEN I ANSWER THESE QUESTIONS, AND I COME UP WITH SOMETHING, IT IS USUALLY AUTHENTIC. IF I WANT IT, OTHER PEOPLE PROBABLY WANT IT TOO. ON THE OTHER HAND, IT RARELY WORKS IF I TRY TO PLEASE OTHERS BECAUSE IT'S NOT EASY TO UNDERSTAND OTHERS FULLY.”
HOW DO YOU KNOW IF YOUR COLLECTIONS ARE UNDERSTOOD?
“I'M NOT YET AWARE OF WHERE I AM OR WHAT MY POSITION IN THE WORLD IS. A FEW YEARS AGO, I RECEIVED A LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD FROM THE CFDA, THE COUNCIL OF FASHION DESIGNERS OF AMERICA, AND IT WAS TOTALLY OUT OF THE BLUE BECAUSE I THOUGHT THEY WEREN'T EVEN AWARE OF MY EXISTENCE. I'VE ALWAYS FELT LIKE AN OUTSIDER, SOMEONE WHO HAS GONE A LONG WAY PARALLEL TO THE "SYSTEM," AND I DIDN'T THINK I WOULD EVER BE RECOGNIZED AS PART OF IT. IT WAS A HUGE SURPRISE."
YOU’VE BEEN HONEST ABOUT YOUR PERCEPTION OF THE STANDARDS OF WHAT IS CALLED "CONVENTIONAL BEAUTY." DO YOU HAVE A SENSE THAT THESE STANDARDS HAVE REALLY CHANGED IN RECENT YEARS OR THAT THE WHOLE CONVERSATION ABOUT THEM HAS REMAINED SUPERFICIAL?
"NO, I DON'T THINK THEY WILL EVER CHANGE. THERE ARE STANDARDS OF BEAUTY AND GRACE TO WHICH PEOPLE WILL BE FOREVER BOUND. I LIKE TO PROPOSE OTHER ALTERNATIVE OPTIONS FOR THOSE WHO DON'T FIT INTO THAT. I THINK MY CONTRIBUTION MAY BE LIMITED AT THIS POINT BECAUSE THOSE STANDARDS CONTINUE TO BE RIGID, NARROW, AND CRUEL, BUT THAT'S OKAY BECAUSE LIFE IS NOT FAIR. NOT EVERYONE CAN BE BEAUTIFUL TO CONVENTIONAL STANDARDS. BUT YOU CHOOSE TO BECOME CONFIDENT."
ON THE OTHER HAND, DO YOU THINK ONE IS BORN CREATIVE?
"I THINK SO. BUT IT ALSO DEPENDS A LOT ON THE WAY YOU GROW UP. IF, AS A KID, YOU SPEND A LOT OF TIME MINDING YOUR OWN BUSINESS INSTEAD OF PLAYING WITH OTHERS AND GETTING MUDDY, THERE'S A CHANCE THAT YOU COME UP WITH IDEAS OF WHAT FUN IS THAT MAYBE DIDN'T EXIST BEFORE. YOU BECOME MORE CREATIVE AND LESS COMPLIANT. I FEEL LIKE THAT'S KIND OF WHAT HAPPENED TO ME. I THINK THAT'S WHAT ENDOWED ME WITH INVENTIVENESS."
DO YOU SOMETIMES FIND YOURSELF DAYDREAMING? IS THERE A CURRENT FANTASY THAT YOU WOULD LIKE TO SHARE WITH OUR READERS?
"I DAYDREAM A LOT. I ADMIT THAT I CONSIDER IT A STRENGTH. I MAKE AN EFFORT TO LOOK AT THE CLOUDS FROM THE GARDEN OR WATCH BIRDS ON THE BEACH. I SPEND A LOT OF TIME AT THE BEACH: CONNECTING WITH THE SEA IS VERY FULFILLING. BUT I AM ALSO PRACTICAL, AND I DON'T FANTASIZE MUCH. FOR EXAMPLE, I NEVER IMAGINED DOING FASHION SHOWS; IT SIMPLY HAPPENED. AND WHEN I DID, I WASN’T EXPECTING MY WORK TO BE APPRECIATED, AND I WAS SURPRISED WHEN IT WAS. I AM ALSO NOT INTERESTED IN ACQUISITION, SO I DON'T FANTASIZE ABOUT OWNING THINGS. BUT THERE IS ONE THING: I THINK I HAVE FANTASIES ABOUT CONTROL. I WANT EVERYTHING TO BE IN ORDER. EXERCISING HAS ALWAYS HELPED ME CONTROL MY BODY, AND I FIND IT A SATISFYING PRACTICE EVEN THOUGH, IN REALITY, I KNOW IT'S AN ILLUSION, YET ANOTHER FANTASY TO PLAY WITH. AND IN THE END, I’M OKAY WITH THAT.”