DECEMBER 2023

W KOREA — LIKE RICK OWENS — DECEMBER 2023

A COLLABORATION BETWEEN TWO BRANDS, RICK OWENS AND MONCLER, EXPANDS THE BOUNDARIES OF FASHION.



MONCLER’S COLLABORATIONS ARE SPECIAL. THIS IS CLEARLY SEEN WHEN LOOKING AT MONCLER GENIUS, WHICH HAS DEVELOPED INTO A CREATIVE COLLABORATION WITH A FOCUS ON INNOVATION. LAST FEBRUARY, THEY HOSTED THE ART OF GENIUS, PRESENTING AN INCREDIBLE VISION OF TRANSFORMING THEIR COLLABORATION INTO A NEW CO-CREATION PLATFORM. BEYOND FASHION, IT IS ABOUT EXPLORING THE BOUNDARIES OF CREATION AND FINDING NEW PARADIGMS AT THE INTERSECTION OF ART, DESIGN, ENTERTAINMENT, MUSIC, SPORTS, AND CULTURE. FOR THIS PURPOSE, MONCLER AND RICK OWENS MET. AT THE ART OF GENIUS EVENT RICK OWENS ATTRACTED THE WORLD'S ATTENTION BY SHOWCASING A SLEEPING CAPSULE. WE SPOKE WITH RICK OWENS ABOUT HIS COLLABORATIVE COLLECTION, COMPLETE WITH CLOTHING WORTHY OF A SLEEPING CAPSULE.



WHAT DOES MONCLER MEAN TO YOU?

I THINK OF MONCLER AS A PATRON OF THE ARTS- ENGAGING IN OUR AESTHETIC CULTURE AT A VERY HIGH LEVEL.

CAN YOU SHARE THE PROCESS BEHIND THE COLLABORATION WITH MONCLER?

I HAVE ALWAYS ENJOYED SCULPTING WITH DUVET AND MONCLER WELCOMES EXPERIMENTATION AND EXPLORATION- THERE WERE NO CHALLENGES, ONLY ENTHUSIASM AND ENCOURAGEMENT.

HOW WOULD YOU BRIEFLY SUMMARIZE THE THEME OF THIS COLLECTION?

I WAS UNDER THE IMPRESSION THAT WHAT MONCLER STANDS FOR WERE WARMTH, PROTECTION, AND DRIVE, AND THROUGH THIS COLLABORATION, I COMBINED MY OWN AESTHETIC WITH THE CONCEPT OF TRAVEL WITHIN PROTECTION. FROM SOCKS TO A STEEL SLEEPING CAPSULE. IT IS A FULLY RESOLVED AND ATTAINABLE STORY.

ONE OF THE THINGS I’VE ALWAYS WONDERED ABOUT RICK OWEN’S STYLE IS WHY YOU TEND TO KEEP THE OVERALL SILHOUETTES EXTREMELY LEAN AND LONG. I’M WONDERING WHAT THE INTENTION BEHIND THE LONG SLEEVES AND ELONGATED SILHOUETTES IS?

THERE IS AN EXTRAVAGANCE TO ADDING TRAILING EXCESSIVE LENGTHS OF UNNECESSARY FABRIC TO GARMENTS. A SENSE OF PAGEANTRY LIKE A TRAIN OR THINKING BEYOND NORMAL BOUNDARIES.

YOU PRODUCED A SLEEPING CAPSULE FOR MONCLER’S ‘ART OF GENIUS’ EVENT. HOW DID YOU COME UP WITH THE CONCEPT OF THE CAPSULE?

WHEN I THOUGHT OF THE BUS, IT WAS FOR MY OWN PERSONAL USE- MY PARENTS WERE OLDER AND NOT ABLE TO TRAVEL TO EUROPE ANYMORE AND THEREFORE MY LIFE WOULD CHANGE TO ACCOMMODATE GOING TO THEM. I HADN’T BEEN TO CALIFORNIA IN 20 YEARS AND WANTED TO MAKE IT A BEAUTIFUL EXPERIENCE. LATER, I WAS CONSIDERING GETTING AN APARTMENT IN NY BUT WANTED TO ENSURE AN ESCAPE FROM THE CONSTANT ENERGY AND BUZZ OF CONSTRUCTION, SO I CAME UP WITH A ROOMY SOUND PROOFED SEALED CAPSULE THAT EVOKED SLEEPING BEAUTIES GLASS COFFIN OR MICHAEL JACKSON’S HYPERBARIC CHAMBER.

COULD YOU SELECT ITEMS FROM THIS COLLECTION THAT HAVE EFFECTIVELY WORKED AS INTENDED?

THE DUVET JUMPSUIT ZIPS ALL THE WAY OVER THE HEAD BUT CAN BE PEELED DOWN AS PANTS WITH OPULENT VOLUMES AROUND THE HIPS.

WHAT IS YOUR PERSONAL FAVORITE PIECE FROM THE COLLECTION?

I LOVE THE RADIANCE QUILTED LONG COAT FOR MORNING COFFEE WINTER WALKS IN THE GARDEN.

PEOPLE SOMETIMES DESCRIBE THINGS AS “RICK OWENS-ESQUE.” HOW DO YOU FEEL WHEN YOU HEAR SUCH COMMENTS?

DELIGHTED. EVEN IF IT'S DEPRECATING, I FEEL THAT I HAVE BEEN HEARD AND THAT’S A NICE THING.

IS THERE ANY LAST THING YOU WOULD LIKE TO SAY?

EMPATHIZE WITH AN OPEN MIND!