DECEMBER 2023
VOGUE TAIWAN — SET ALL FREAKS FREE — DECEMBER 2023 — BY KUAN LIN
EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH THE DARK LORD RICK OWENS: THE STANDARD OF BEAUTY IS SO NARROW AND CRUEL. EVERYONE IS DIFFERENT; THERE IS NO NEED TO CATER TO OTHERS.
IN TODAY'S FLEETING WORLD, RICK OWENS, WHO WAS INITIALLY SEEN AS A FREAK, HAS BECOME THE FASHION INDUSTRY'S MOST BELOVED AND TIMELESS DESIGNER.
IN OCTOBER, WHILE WAITING FOR RICK OWENS'S REPLY, I LEARNED THAT HE AND HIS WIFE, MICHÈLE LAMY, WERE VISITING TOKYO AND SEOUL. THEY HOSTED A RAVE IN TOKYO WITH PERFORMANCES BY DJ YOUSUKE YUKIMATSU, RYOJI IKEDA, AND THE FECAL MATTER DUO... IN THE MIDDLE OF THE RAVE, MICHÈLE LAMY RODE A WHITE HORSE LIKE A PRIESTESS, WITH RICK OWENS WALKING BESIDE HER IN KISS BOOTS AND CALMLY HOLDING THE HORSE. A BRIGHT SPOTLIGHT CAPTURED THE UNUSUAL SIGHT DURING THE DARK PARTY. THAT NIGHT, ALL THE GUESTS WORE RICK OWENS'S CLOTHES FROM HEAD TO TOE (THE NEW YORK TIMES ONCE DESCRIBED THEM AS SOME KIND OF ALIEN), AND WE’RE ONCE AGAIN SURRENDERED TO THE LORD OF DARKNESS FOREVER.
FOR RICK OWENS'S FOLLOWERS, HE IS FAR MORE THAN FASHION; IT IS BELIEF.
ASIDE FROM FASHION OR RUNWAY SHOWS. THE MOST SUCCESSFUL THING ABOUT RICK OWENS IS THAT HE HAS ESTABLISHED A STRONG SENSE OF BELONGING FOR NICHE, NON-MAINSTREAM, HETEROGENEOUS, AND MARGINALIZED GROUPS.
HE SAID, "TELLING PEOPLE THAT 'THERE ARE ALTERNATIVE CHOICES' HAS ALWAYS PLAYED AN IMPORTANT ROLE IN MY DESIGN PROCESS. NOT EVERYONE CAN BE BEAUTIFUL ACCORDING TO TYPICAL NORMS. AFTER ALL, THE STANDARD OF BEAUTY IS A BIT CRUEL AND NARROW.” HERE, PEOPLE CAN TAKE OFF THEIR DISGUISES OR EVEN WEAR ARMOR. RICK ACCEPTS THEM FOR THEMSELVES AND THE APPEARANCE THEY WANT TO PROJECT - EVEN IF IT IS NOT ACCEPTED BY THE PUBLIC, IT IS STILL REAL AND MOVING.
AN OUTLIER BORN IN A TRADITIONAL CATHOLIC FAMILY
RICK OWENS WAS BORN A DEVIANT IN A HIGHLY CONSERVATIVE CATHOLIC FAMILY IN PORTERVILLE, CALIFORNIA. HIS FATHER WAS A SOCIAL WORKER, AND HIS MOTHER WAS A TEACHER. HE ONCE DESCRIBED HIS CHILDHOOD, SAYING: "AS A CALIFORNIA BOY, I WAS VERY SENSITIVE AND FEMININE." NON-TRADITIONAL AND GAY, EVERYTHING ABOUT HIM SEEMED TO BE A SIN IN THIS FAMILY. HIS FATHER TRIED TO KEEP HIM AT HOME WITHOUT TELEVISION OR METAL MUSIC; NO ADULTS WOULD LISTEN. "I WAS FORCED TO GIVE IN AND PRETEND TO BE MYSELF IN AN UNCOMFORTABLE WAY. I TOLD MYSELF THAT I HAD TO BECOME MANLY,” HE SAID. “YOU HAVE TO TOUGHEN UP." AS A CHILD, RICK ACCUMULATED REBELLIOUS ANGER TOWARD THE WORLD AND WAS INCOMPATIBLE WITH THE WORLD AROUND HIM AND HIS EXTREMELY CONTROLLING FATHER.
HIS DEPRESSION SEEMED TO FIND AN OUTLET AFTER HE WENT TO LOS ANGELES TO ATTEND OTIS ART HIGH SCHOOL. "AS SOON AS I ENTERED AN ART SCHOOL IN A BIG CITY, I BECAME EVEN MORE CONFIDENT." HE ADMIRED ARTISTS SUCH AS JOSEPH BEUYS AND JULIAN SCHNABEL. HE STUDIED PAINTING AND, LATER, THOUGHT HE WAS NOT TALENTED ENOUGH AND SWITCHED TO ENTER A TRADE SCHOOL TO LEARN PATTERN AND GARMENT MAKING. AFTER GRADUATION, HE JOINED A HIGH-END IMITATION CLOTHING COMPANY AND COPIED BIG-NAME DESIGNS ALL DAY. AFTER GETTING OFF WORK, HE DRANK, TOOK DRUGS, AND HAD SEX IN BDSM BARS, LEADING A RIDICULOUS LIFE. HE ONCE EXPLAINED: "TO PUT IT SIMPLY, IT MEANS WANDERING ON THE FRINGES OF SOCIETY, A FRINGE WORLD BASED ON THE LOWEST SENSES. NEEDLESS TO SAY, IT IS FULL OF AIDS, DRUGS, AND ALL KINDS OF DANGERS."
"THE REASON WHY I REMEMBER IT SO CLEARLY IS BECAUSE I ENJOYED THIS NEAR-DEATH LIFESTYLE..."
HOWEVER, IN THESE VIOLENT AND DECADENT DAYS, RICK OWENS UNEXPECTEDLY MET THE LOVE OF HIS LIFE, MUSE, AND BUSINESS PARTNER, A WOMAN HE WAS WILLING TO BE BURIED WITH-- MICHÈLE LAMY. BEFORE HE MET MICHÈLE LAMY, WHO WAS 18 YEARS OLDER, RICK ONLY HAD BOYFRIENDS. THROUGH HIS THEN-BOYFRIEND (DRAMATICALLY, WHO WAS ALSO NAMED RICK), HE WENT TO WORK FOR MICHÈLE LAMY'S CLOTHING BRAND. NOT ONLY DID HE HAVE A NEW JOB, A NEW LOVER, AND A COMPATIBLE COUPLE. HE MOVED ON TO FOUNDING A BRAND UNDER HIS NAME IN 1994. YOU KNOW THE REST OF THE STORY.
THE TORCH THAT BURNS THE FASHION APOCALYPSE
INITIALLY, RICK OWENS WAS SPONSORED BY VOGUE FOR HIS FIRST APPEARANCE IN THE 2002 SPRING/SUMMER NEW YORK FASHION WEEK DUE TO THE APPRECIATION OF ANNA WINTOUR. HOWEVER, THE INDUSTRY REGARDED THIS OIL-STAINED, UNDERGROUND DARK AESTHETIC AS AN OUTLIER.
"IN NEW YORK AT THE TIME, WHAT I WAS DOING WAS MARGINALIZED AND CONSIDERED A FREAK SHOW."
IN THE FOLLOWING YEAR, RICK AND MICHÈLE SETTLED IN PARIS, AND THEN THEY DROPPED THE MOST CRAZY AND DEVASTATING SHOCK BOMB ON THE FASHION INDUSTRY. IMAGINE THE ENERGY OF THE JAPANESE COMIC "AKIRA" THAT TRIGGERED THE TOKYO EXPLOSION. RICK OWENS IS THE AKIRA WHO DESTROYED THE LONELY FASHION APOCALYPSE AND OPENED A NEW WORLD OF UNIQUE AESTHETICS.
DURING THE SPRING/SUMMER 2013 MEN'S SHOW, HE LET THE METAL BAND WINNY PUHH HANG FROM THE CEILING TO PLAY; DURING THE SPRING/SUMMER 2014 WOMEN’S SHOW, HE INVITED AN AFRICAN AMERICAN STEP DANCE GROUP (A COMBINATION OF TAP DANCING, CHEERLEADING, AND MILITARY TRAINING) TO THE RUNWAY TO PERFORM AN INTERPRETATION OF WOMEN'S INTIMIDATING STRENGTH AND POWER DANCES. MY FAVORITE AND MOST UNEXPECTED SHOW WAS THE SPRING/SUMMER 2016 SHOW, WHEN TWO FEMALE ATHLETES WERE CARRIED IN POSITIONS INSPIRED BY THE AVANT-GARDE PERFORMANCE ARTIST LEIGH BOWERY AND HIS WIFE, NICOLA BATEMAN. THIS IS A SHOW, A PAGE OF HISTORY, A SHOCKING SPECTACLE.
TODAY, RICK OWENS CASTS HIS SPELL AT THE PALAIS DE TOKYO IN PARIS EVERY SEASON. IN RECENT YEARS, HE HAS REFLECTED ON THE TURMOIL OF THE PANDEMIC, WAR, WOMEN'S RIGHTS, AND POLITICAL SITUATION; RICK OWENS HAS USED FASHION TIME AND TIME AGAIN TO EXPRESS HIS URGENCY AND HELPLESSNESS TOWARDS THE REAL WORLD, TRYING TO FIND INNER PEACE. THE INSPIRATION FOR THE FALL/WINTER 2023 WOMEN'S SHOW ORIGINATED FROM THE UKRAINIAN-RUSSIAN WAR. THE MODELS WERE TIED IN DONUT-LIKE DOWN CYLINDERS AND COVERED BY HUGE, OVERSIZED COATS. RICK EXPLAINED THAT THIS IS A KIND OF SOLEMN ELEGANCE, AND I THINK IT IS MORE OF A RESISTANCE AND PROTECTION, BRINGING ATTENTION TO THE FACT THAT THIS CORNER OF THE WORLD IS IN DANGER AND LIVE IN FEAR. BRITISH VOGUE CRITIC ANDERS CHRISTIAN MADSEN ONCE COMMENTED: "IN TODAY'S POST-MODERN FASHION WORLD, WEIRDNESS IS INCREASINGLY WITHERING, AND RICK OWENS HAS BECOME THE SAVIOR."
TEN QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS: FASHIONABLE SOLITARY
YOU USED TO BE SHY, BUT NOW YOU’VE FULFILLED SUCH AN ECCENTRIC AND COOL LIFE. COULD YOU TELL US WHEN YOU’RE NOT AFRAID OF WHAT OTHERS THINK OF YOU ANYMORE? WEARING RICK OWENS FULFILLS THE BRAVERY FOR ME TO BE DIFFERENT FROM OTHERS. WHAT ABOUT YOU, WHEN YOU WERE YOUNG ANY ICON WHO INSPIRED YOU LIKE THIS?
"I ALWAYS REMEMBER SEEING DAVID BOWIE’S DIAMOND DOGS ALBUM COVER IN A RECORD STORE IN THE LITTLE CONSERVATIVE TOWN I WAS RAISED IN WHEN I WAS AROUND 13 YEARS OLD - IT VALIDATED THE WEIRDNESS AND ALIENATION I FELT AND MADE ME KNOW THERE WAS A PLACE IN THE WORLD FOR ME. I AM NO COMPARISON TO BOWIE, BUT I HOPE I HAVE HELPED OTHERS IN A SIMILAR WAY."
AS A DESIGNER AND A BRAND LEADER, HOW DO YOU LEAD THE ENTIRE TEAM, AND HOW DO YOU LISTEN TO THE IDEAS OF THE YOUNGER GENERATION?
"I DON’T THINK I AM SUCH A GREAT LISTENER- I DON’T HAVE A DESIGN ROOM OF PEOPLE SUGGESTING THINGS, I PRETTY MUCH KNOW EXACTLY WHAT I WANT AND AM JUST LOOKING FOR THE BEST WAY TO GET MY IDEAS EXECUTED. I NEED EFFICIENT TECHNICIANS MORE THAN I NEED IDEAS…THAT BEING SAID, I HAVE BEEN LUCKY ENOUGH TO END UP WITH A GROUP OF WILDLY CREATIVE COLLEAGUES THAT INSPIRE ME EVERY DAY AND FILL MY LIFE WITH SUCH GRATITUDE AND QUIET, GENTLE JOY. "
WHAT QUALITIES DOES A PERSON POSSESS THAT WOULD ATTRACT YOU TO HAVE THEM JOIN THE RICK OWENS TEAM? COULD YOU INTRODUCE US TO A CURRENT WORK PARTNER OF YOURS WHOM YOU TRUST AND ADMIRE THE MOST? IS THAT TYRONE DYLAN?
"I LOVE HAVING PEOPLE AROUND ME THAT HAVE THE PATIENCE TO SEE THINGS THROUGH IN A CAREFUL AND PRECISE WAY, ALLOWING ME TO BE RECKLESS AND IMPRACTICAL. BUT I DO NEED WINDOWS INTO OTHER WORLDS THAT I DON’T NECESSARILY WANT TO COMPLETELY IMMERSE MYSELF IN…….I LOVE HAVING EXPLORERS THAT COME BACK WITH THEIR EXOTIC REPORTS……..”
THOM BROWNE'S TEAM IS RENOWNED FOR WEARING THEIR SUIT UNIFORMS, AND HE MENTIONS, "TO MAKE SURE EMPLOYEES ALWAYS KNOW WHY THEY ARE WORKING." ON THE OTHER HAND, THE RICK OWENS TEAM ALWAYS NATURALLY DRESSES LIKE A FAMILY. DO YOU HAVE ANY SECRET AND UNDISCLOSED RULES OR COMMONALITIES WITHIN YOUR TEAM?
“NO RULES AND NO LIMITS. I ALWAYS WANTED TO SPREAD A MESSAGE OF INCLUSION AND EMBRACING OTHERNESS. THE IRONY IS THAT OUR OTHERNESS CAN SEEM FORBIDDING TO SOME AND MAKE THEM FEEL UNWELCOME….I NEED TO WORK ON ENSURING THAT DOESN’T HAPPEN…..”
DO YOU THINK YOU’RE WORTH BEING THE ICON WHOM YOUNG PEOPLE FOLLOW?
“I THINK I HAVE POSITIVE VALUES THAT I ENDORSE IN A SOFT WAY. I COULD BE A LOT WORSE.”
WHICH BRAND OR DESIGNER IN FASHION WOULD UPSET YOU IF THEY LEFT THE INDUSTRY?
“REI KAWAKUBO BALANCES OUT AN INDUSTRY THAT CAN BE VERY CONSERVATIVE….WE NEED A VOICE LIKE HERS TO REMIND US WHAT'S POSSIBLE…..”
WHO WOULD BE YOUR IDEAL PARTNER IF YOU COULD FIND A DESIGNER PARTNER TO WORK WITH, JUST LIKE MIUCCIA PRADA AND RAF SIMONS? WHICH FASHION HOUSE WOULD YOU LIKE TO WORK IN?
“I NEVER LEARNED HOW TO BE PART OF A TEAM AND NEGOTIATE- I WOULD JUST AUTOMATICALLY BECOME POLITE AND CONCEDE TO ANYTHING RATHER THAN CONTEST IT. FOR BETTER OR FOR WORSE, I AM A LONER AND HAVE LEARNED TO ACCEPT THAT INSTEAD OF FORCING MYSELF TO BE SOMETHING I AM NOT.”
IN A RECENT INTERVIEW ABOUT PARIS FASHION WEEK, DANIEL ROSEBERRY ONCE SAID, “FASHION SHOWS ARE GETTING MORE AND MORE STUFF, BUT THE TOUCHES OF HEART ARE GETTING LESS AND LESS.” DO YOU AGREE WITH IT? WHAT’S YOUR AUTHENTIC THOUGHT ABOUT NOWADAYS FASHION SHOWS?
“I THINK EVERY FASHION SHOW IS VALID IN THEIR OWN WAY…….SOMETIMES THE CYNICAL CALCULATIONS OF FASHION ARE JUST AS THRILLING AS THE MOST AUTHENTIC CREATIVE GESTURES……I FIND A WAY TO ENJOY EVERYTHING, PERVERSE OR GENUINE.”
I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW ABOUT YOUR EXPERIENCE VISITING MICHAEL HEIZER'S LAND ART PIECES. HAVE THERE BEEN ANY RECENT ARTWORKS/ARTISTS THAT HAVE DEEPLY INSPIRED YOU?
“I JUST SAW A DONALD JUDD SHOW THAT MADE ME FALL IN LOVE ALL OVER AGAIN- I AM AFRAID I ONLY LIKE DEAD ARTISTS THAT HAVE MAINTAINED A CONSISTENT LEVEL UNTIL THE END- I CAN’T INVEST EMOTIONALLY IN SOMEONE WHOSE QUALITY OF OUTPUT ISN’T GUARANTEED.”
WHEN YOU EXPERIENCE SIGNIFICANT INSPIRATION OR EMOTIONAL IMPACT FROM YOUR CREATIVE INSPIRATIONS, DO YOU PREFER TO SHARE IT WITH OTHERS IMMEDIATELY OR PROCESS IT ON YOUR OWN? WHAT IS YOUR USUAL METHOD FOR RECORDING OR DOCUMENTING THESE EMOTIONS AND INSPIRATIONS?
“I DON’T FALL IN LOVE VERY EASILY- I HAVE FEW COMMITMENTS BUT THEY ARE DEEP AND LONG. AND WHILE MY LIFE IS AN OPEN BOOK, I KEEP A LOT TO MYSELF.”
MONCLER + RICK OWENS UNIQUE COLLABORATION
RICK OWENS, WHO HAS BEEN VERY RESISTANT TO WORK ON COLLABORATIONS IN THE PAST, HAS BECOME A LOYAL PARTNER OF TOP ITALIAN BRAND MONCLER. THIS SEASON, HE AND MONCLER ONCE AGAIN JOINED HANDS TO CREATE A CAPSULE SERIES. THEY ALSO DESIGNED A SLEEP POD MADE TO ISOLATE ONESELF FROM THE WORLD. IT IS EQUIPPED WITH A BED, OXYGEN REGENERATION DEVICE, AND TEMPERATURE-CONTROLLED VENTILATION SYSTEM. HE EXPLAINED: "I WANTED TO CREATE A SOUNDPROOF RETREAT FOR MYSELF. KIND OF LIKE CHRIST’S STONE TOMB OR SLEEPING BEAUTY’S GLASS COFFIN. I WAS GOING TO MAKE IT FOR MYSELF ANYWAY, BUT WHEN MONCLER SUGGESTED A COLLAB, I THOUGHT I WOULD BUILD A COLLECTION AROUND IT.” WHETHER YOU ARE IN A SLEEP POD OR WRAPPED IN ONE OF THE DOWN JACKETS, YOU FEEL LIKE YOU ARE COMPLETELY IMMERSED IN RICK’S VISION—AN ISOLATED AND WARM PLACE.
HIS OBSESSION WITH BRUTALIST ARCHITECTURE, MODERNIST SCULPTURES, AND FURNITURE HAS ALWAYS BEEN STRONGLY REFLECTED IN HIS CLOTHING. "I HOPE TO BE A SCULPTOR LIKE CONSTANTIN BRÂNCUȘI IN MY NEXT LIFE. BRÂNCUȘI INSPIRES ALL MY CREATIONS." A MAJOR FEATURE OF THE SERIES IS THE RADIANCE JACKETS MADE IN LIGHT BLACK, EARTHY BROWN, AND GRADIENT NEUTRAL TONES, INJECTED WITH RICK OWENS' UNIQUE STYLE INTO THE MONOTONOUS WINTER DOWN JACKET—A SENSE OF DOOMSDAY TECHNOLOGY.
ITEMS INCLUDE BOMBER JACKETS, DOWN JACKETS, LONG DUVET COATS, ELONGATED COATS, SKIRTS, SHORTS, AND TOPS. LONG KNITWEAR OR BRUSHED COTTON TOPS COME WITH SHOULDER BUTTONS AND OPENINGS FOR CUSTOM STYLING—LONG TUNICS, DRESSES, AND SKIRTS IN DENIM. A PULLOVER SCARF, PLUSH BOOTS, AND A RADIANCE-QUILTED BLANKET COMPLETE THE LOOK.
TALKING ABOUT HIS CREATIONS IN RECENT SEASONS, INCLUDING THIS MONCLER COLLABORATION, WHICH HAS GRADUALLY BURST OUT FROM ALL BLACK TO MORE COLORS, RICK ONCE AGAIN REITERATED HIS LOVE FOR THE COLOR BLACK: "BLACK CAN HIDE INSECURITIES FOR SOME OF US, I APPRECIATE WEARING BLACK FOR OBSERVING A LITTLE FORMALITY AND QUIET MODESTY- THE WORLD IS A VERY COLORFUL AND CLUTTERED SPACE, WEARING BLACK AND PROVIDING RESPITE FOR THE EYE CAN BE A POLITE GESTURE.”
IN 2017, RICK OWENS RECEIVED THE LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD AT THE CFDA AWARDS CEREMONY, AND HE SAID: "AS A HUMAN BEING, THE MOST BASIC NEED IS TO BE HEARD. THANK YOU FOR MAKING ME FEEL HEARD." I THOUGHT THIS WAS WHAT COUNTLESS PEOPLE WANTED TO SAY TO HIM SINCE COUNTLESS BROKEN SOULS WHO WERE MARGINALIZED IN THE PAST HAD THE COURAGE TO DREAM.