OCTOBER 2023

GRIND — RICK OWENS: MORE RICK OWENS PHOTOGRAPHED BY DANIELLE LEVITT — FALL/WINTER 2023 — BY SHUHEI KAWADA

Q. WHILE WE'VE ALREADY LEARNED SOME DETAILS FROM THE PRESS RELEASE, COULD YOU PLEASE SHARE IN YOUR OWN WORDS ABOUT 'MORE RICK OWENS PHOTOGRAPHED BY DANIELLE LEVITT' AND WHAT IT REPRESENTS FOR YOU?

WHEN WE WALK THROUGH ANY AIRPORT, ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD, WE ARE FORCED TO GO THROUGH A DUTY FREE PERFUME SHOP THAT IS PROMOTING A VERY SPECIFIC AND NARROW SET OF ASPIRATIONAL AESTHETIC VALUES. THE FASHION GROUPS AREN'T DICTATING THIS - IT IS CONSUMER DEMAND DICTATING. I DON'T REJECT THIS AESTHETIC, BUT I DO SLIGHTLY RESENT THE SMUGNESS OF ITS ABSOLUTENESS. ALL MY EFFORTS ARE TO PROPOSE AN ALTERNATE SET OF AESTHETICS TO THOSE WHO DON'T SEE THEMSELVES REFLECTED IN THESE CONTEMPORARY CULTURAL STANDARDS.

DANIELLE RECOGNIZES GROUPS THAT ARE DRAWN TOGETHER TO PURSUE VALUES OUTSIDE THE NORM AND DOCUMENTS THEM WITH GREAT AFFECTION AND RESPECT. WE ARE BOTH DRAWN

Q. I BELIEVE THAT BOOK PROJECTS ARE AN INTEGRAL PART OF BRAND EXPRESSION, BUT WHAT DISCOVERIES

I DON'T REALLY DO BOOKS AS A CORPORATE BRAND PROMOTION, I DO IT MAINLY TO HAVE FUN. THERE ARE SO MANY BRANDS OUT THERE THAT ARE THE EXPRESSION OF COMMITTEE COMPROMISE. I THINK PEOPLE FORGET THIS IS AN INDEPENDENT EFFORT WITH EVERYTHING RELEASED OVERSEEN BY ONE PERSON.

Q. I THINK THE PANDEMIC PERIOD IS MAINLY THE FOCUS OF THIS BOOK, BUT LOOKING BACK AGAIN, WHAT IMPACT DID THAT PARTICULAR PERIOD HAVE ON YOU?

THE QUARTET OF SHOWS WE DID DURING QUARANTINE ARE A FRACTION OF THIS BOOK BUT THEY WERE SUCH A BONDING EXPERIENCE - ALL OF OUR LIVES WERE REDUCED TO THE ESSENTIALS - ESSENTIAL RELATIONSHIPS, ESSENTIAL EXPRESSION - IT REALLY REDUCED THE CLUTTER AND DEFINED AND CLARIFIED OUR BASIC VALUES AND WHO AND WHAT WE REALLY CARED ABOUT.

Q. WHERE DOES YOUR INSPIRATION COME FROM WHEN YOU DESIGN, AND WHAT’S THE MOST IMPORTANT THING FOR YOU TO KEEP WHEN MAKING YOUR OWN DESIGNS SINCE LAUNCHING?

MY MAIN GOAL IS TO LEAVE BEHIND A BODY OF WORK THAT HAS A CONSISTENT COMMITMENT TO INTEGRITY AND HONESTY. EACH COLLECTION IS AN EVOLUTION OF THE ONE BEFORE - THERE NEEDS TO BE A LOGICAL PROGRESSION WITHOUT DISPOSING PAST IDEAS.