JANUARY 2024

SPUR — RICK OWENS: ALTERNATIVE OPTIONS TO TODAY’S STANDARDS— JANUARY 2024 — BY HIROKO SHINTANI



“WHEN I WAS YOUNGER, I NEVER THOUGHT ABOUT CREATING AN ARCHIVE LIKE THIS. I WAS DESPERATELY TRYING TO SURVIVE EVERY DAY,” RICK OWENS SAYS WITH A SMILE. HE CAME TO JAPAN FOR THE FIRST TIME IN 20 YEARS TO CELEBRATE THE LAUNCH OF HIS BOOK “MORE RICK OWENS,” WHICH HAS IMAGES SHOWCASING HIS COLLECTION OVER THE PAST FIVE YEARS, STARTING WITH THE FALL/WINTER 2019 COLLECTION.

THIS PROJECT BEGAN WHEN HE MET PHOTOGRAPHER DANIELLE LEVITT, AND HE EXPLAINED TO US THAT ALL IMAGES WERE TAKEN BACKSTAGE DURING THE RUNWAY SHOWS. DANIELLE IS KNOWN FOR PHOTOGRAPHING PEOPLE FROM MANY SUBCULTURES, AND HE EMPATHIZES WITH HER. AFTER ALL, THE FASHION WORLD HAS VERY LIMITED IDEAS OF BEAUTY STANDARDS THAT ARE COMMONLY ACCEPTED. HE WAS A BOY LIVING IN A CONSERVATIVE TOWN AND PART OF THE GENERATION WHO SUFFERED FROM A SENSE OF ALIENATION BUT STILL LIKED TO DRESS UP, EVEN IF PEOPLE AROUND HIM WOULD LOOK AT HIM AS AN ENEMY. THIS IS WHY HE WANTS TO CELEBRATE DIVERSITY AND OFFER AN ALTERNATIVE TO EVERYTHING CONSIDERED THE NORM. SINCE FOUNDING HIS BRAND IN 1994, HE HAS DISTANCED HIMSELF FROM MAINSTREAM FASHION AND CONTINUED PURSUING HIS UNIQUE EXPRESSION.

IN PARIS IN SEPTEMBER, HE FOUND INSPIRATION IN DIANA ROSS'S SONG “I STILL BELIEVE IN LOVE.” THE MESSAGE BEHIND THE CREATION OF THIS SONG IS ALSO BASED ON THE IDEA THAT “THE PURSUIT OF BEAUTY IS THE PURSUIT OF HOPE,” WHICH OWENS MENTIONED HE HAS BEEN INTENSELY AWARE OF SINCE THE WAR BEGAN IN UKRAINE. “WHEN WE BEGIN PLANNING A COLLECTION, WE FIRST CHOOSE THE SONG WE WANT TO USE AND THEN DESIGN OUR CLOTHES AROUND IT. THIS IS SO THERE IS A SYMBOLIC RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE SONG AND THE CLOTHES. I NORMALLY REFINE A SONG BY SLOWING DOWN THE BACKGROUND TO MAKE IT RESONATE BETTER AND THEN CHOOSING SILHOUETTES AND MATERIALS THAT MAY FIT. IN OTHER WORDS, IT FEELS LIKE I'M DRAWING A PATTERN WITH THE MUSIC.” RICK DESCRIBES THIS COLLECTION AS “SOFT, EMOTIONAL, AND SENTIMENTAL.” SWEET, WARM COLORS LIKE PINK AND ORANGE ARE MIXED INTO THE MONOTONE, EMPHASIZING LITHENESS AND SOFTNESS LIKE NEVER BEFORE. EVEN THOUGH “I STILL BELIEVE” IS A POP SONG, DIANA’S VOICE IS VULNERABLE, RAW, AND SINCERE. “I STILL BELIEVE IN LOVE. I’VE TRIED TO EXPRESS HOPE, AND I THINK WE WERE ABLE TO MAKE A VERY POSITIVE STATEMENT.”