NOVEMBER 2023

JOONGANG DAILY — PIONEER OF THE DARK FASHION TREND, RICK OWENS, SAYS: "BLACK IS A HUMBLE COLOR." — NOVEMBER 2023 — BY JEONGMIN SEO

ON THE 13TH OF LAST MONTH, SHINSEGAE INTERNATIONAL MANAGED DESIGNER RICK OWENS'S VISIT TO SOUTH KOREA. HE HELD A BOOK SIGNING AT THE BOON THE SHOP GALLERY IN CHEONGDAM, SEOUL, TO CELEBRATE THE RELEASE, TO WHICH ALL HIS KOREAN FANS WERE INVITED. 'MORE RICK OWENS' IS A PHOTO BOOK CREATED WITH HIS LONGTIME FRIEND AND PHOTOGRAPHER, DANIELLE LEVITT. IT FEATURES A COLLECTION OF IMAGES FROM THE BRAND’S COLLECTIONS FROM THE 2019 FALL/WINTER SEASON TO THE 2023 SPRING/SUMMER SEASON.

THE GARMENTS FEATURED IN THE BOOK ARE QUITE DARING FOR ORDINARY PEOPLE TO WEAR. NEVERTHELESS, RICK OWENS' CLOTHING STRONGLY INFLUENCES "CITY NOMAD" FASHION IN THE GLOBAL GENERATION 2030. ENTHUSIASTS OF HIS STYLE DON'T REFER TO THEMSELVES AS "FANS" BUT AS "FOLLOWERS." WHAT COULD BE THE REASON BEHIND THIS?

RICK OWENS WAS BORN IN CALIFORNIA, USA IN 1961. HE STUDIED ART FOR TWO YEARS AT OTIS COLLEGE OF ART AND DESIGN. HE THEN TOOK PATTERNMAKING AND DRAPING COURSES AT LOS ANGELES TRADE-TECHNICAL COLLEGE. AFTER WORKING FOR SEVERAL CLOTHING COMPANIES, HE LAUNCHED HIS OWN BRAND IN 1994 AND GAINED RECOGNITION WHEN HE MADE HIS DEBUT IN 2002 NEW YORK FASHION WEEK. IN 2004, HE RELOCATED TO PARIS, WHERE HE HAS BEEN RUNNING HIS FASHION EMPIRE AND PARTICIPATING IN PARIS FASHION WEEK TO THIS DAY. HE IS ONE OF THE FEW COMPANIES THAT OPERATE INDEPENDENTLY WITHOUT BEING SOLD BY LARGE GROUPS LIKE LVMH.

RICK OWENS IS OFTEN CALLED "THE LORD OF DARK FASHION" AND "A DESIGNER'S DESIGNER." THIS IS BECAUSE HE CONSISTENTLY SHOWCASES REMARKABLE CREATIVITY IN DESIGNING DARK, MELANCHOLIC, YET ALLURING CLOTHING, ALONG WITH BLACK AS A CENTRAL COLOR. HIS FASHION SHOWS ALSO CONSISTENTLY GENERATE ATTENTION IN THE FASHION INDUSTRY.

IN OCTOBER 2015, HIS COLLECTION WAS SHOWCASED ON FEMALE MODELS WHO CARRIED OTHER MODELS AS IF THEY WERE BACKPACKS. RICK OWENS EXPLAINED THAT HE WANTED TO EXPRESS A SENSE OF REVERENCE FOR THE CONNECTION BETWEEN WOMEN. IN JANUARY OF THE SAME YEAR, DURING ANOTHER SHOW, MALE MODELS WORE OUTFITS WITH HOLES IN THE CROTCH AREA, WHICH LED TO A CONTROVERSY ABOUT OBSCENITY. EVENTUALLY, HE ACQUIRED THE NICKNAME 'DICK OWENS,' BUT EVEN THEN, RICK OWENS EXPRESSED A NONCHALANT REACTION, STATING THAT NUDITY IS THE SIMPLEST AND MOST PRIMAL FORM OF EXPRESSION. WHEN HE HAD MALE AND FEMALE MODELS WEAR UNCONVENTIONAL HEADPIECES AS HAIRSTYLES, HE EXPLAINED THAT HE WAS INSPIRED BY LONG HAIR ASSOCIATED WITH THE 'HIPPIE STYLE' AND WANTED TO CONVEY A MESSAGE OF REBELLION AND SUBVERSION.

INNOVATIVE CREATIVITY VS BIZARRE SHOWS, WHAT IS THE REAL STORY THAT RICK OWENS WANTS TO TELL? WHEN I MET HIM AT THE BOON THE SHOP GALLERY EVENT, I ASKED HIM TO DEFINE 'RICK OWENS CLOTHING.'

Q. WHAT IS THE ULTIMATE MESSAGE YOU WANT TO CONVEY THROUGH FASHION?

A: IT'S AN EMPATHETIC ALTERNATIVE. TODAY'S CULTURE IS FILLED WITH EXCESSIVELY STRICT, NARROW, AND SOMETIMES CRUEL AESTHETIC STANDARDS. WHILE MY DESIGNS MAY NOT SATISFY EVERYONE, I HOPE THEY PROVIDE SOME ALTERNATIVE TO THE HOMOGENIZED NORMS IN THE FASHION INDUSTRY TODAY. ULTIMATELY, I WANT TO REVEAL THE ECCENTRIC TRAITS THAT RESIDE IN PEOPLE. EVERY PERSON HAS THEIR ECCENTRIC QUALITIES. I WANT TO HIGHLIGHT THOSE UNIQUE, INHERENT CHARACTERISTICS. THIS IS ALSO A STORY ABOUT THE TOLERANCE THAT IS ESSENTIAL AS WE LIVE IN THE WORLD. I HOPE WE CAN ACCEPT AND EMBRACE OTHERS ENTIRELY WITHOUT HASTY JUDGMENT OR CONDEMNATION.

Q. MANY OF YOUR DESIGNS ARE RADICAL AND UNCONVENTIONAL.

A: OF COURSE, IT MAY BE SEEN AS BIZARRE, BUT I THINK TO SOME EXTENT I’VE SUCCEEDED IN CREATING DESIGNS THAT ARE ELEGANT AND CONVINCING ENOUGH FOR A PROMINENT KOREAN MEDIA OUTLET TO WANT TO INTERVIEW ME. (LAUGHS)

Q. IS THERE A REASON YOU LIKE THE COLOR BLACK?

A: BLACK IS INCREDIBLY DRAMATIC AND SOPHISTICATED, BUT AT THE SAME TIME, IT'S A VERY HUMBLE COLOR. IT HAS THE ABILITY TO GIVE OFF A VERY POLITE ATTITUDE. IT'S A COLOR THAT ALLOWS OTHERS TO STAND OUT. IT'S ALSO A COLOR THAT PROVIDES COMFORT FOR THE EYES IN A CHAOTIC, MESSY, AND COMPLICATED WORLD.

Q. TO PULL OFF YOUR CLOTHES WELL, DO I NEED TO BE TALL AND SLIM LIKE A FASHION MODEL?

A: MY MOTHER USED TO SAY THE SAME THING, AND I WOULD ALWAYS RESPOND LIKE THIS: MICHELE (MY WIFE) WEARS THEM JUST FINE TOO (LAUGHS)

IN THE FASHION INDUSTRY, IT IS COMMON THAT THE STYLES SHOWCASED ON THE RUNWAY ARE OFTEN DIFFERENT THAN WHAT IS SOLD IN STORES. DURING FASHION CAMPAIGNS AND SHOWS, DESIGNERS OFTEN EXAGGERATE AND EMPHASIZE THE ASPECTS THEY WANT TO HIGHLIGHT FOR THE SEASON. HOWEVER, THE CLOTHING AVAILABLE IN STORES IS TYPICALLY MORE REFINED AND PRACTICAL FOR EVERYDAY WEAR.

IT'S INTERESTING TO NOTE THAT EVEN KOREAN CELEBRITIES LIKE G-DRAGON, SANDARA PARK, AND BTS'S V ARE NOT AS TALL AS FOREIGN MODELS BUT ARE STILL KNOWN TO ENJOY WEARING RICK OWENS' CLOTHING.

Q. WHAT ARE SOME OF YOUR FAVORITE WORDS?

A: SOME OF MY FAVORITE WORDS ARE EMPATHY, EMBRACEMENT, LOVE, TENDERNESS, WARMTH, FAMILY, GARDEN, GRANDCHILDREN, CAKE, ESPRESSO, ME, LAVENDER, COASTLINE, NAP." (LAUGHS)

WITH HIS LONG, BLACK HAIR AND BLACK LEATHER 4-INCH-HIGH HEELS, RICK OWENS CERTAINLY EMPHASIZES THE LOOK OF A "DARK FASHION LORD." HOWEVER, WHEN YOU ACTUALLY MEET HIM, HE APPEARS TO BE MORE LIKE A PHILOSOPHER WHO LOVES ROMANCE. I UNDERSTAND THE FEELINGS OF HIS FOLLOWERS WHO LOVE HIS CLOTHING. AND RICK OWENS TRULY LOVES THE COLOR BLACK. DESPITE HIS SHORT VISIT TO KOREA, AFTER THE INTERVIEW, HE PERSONALLY VISITED A PHOTO EXHIBITION BY THE KOREAN PHOTOGRAPHER MIN BYUNG-HUN CALLED '戒(계).' MIN BYUNG-HUN IS A PHOTOGRAPHER SPECIALIZING IN UNIQUE BLACK AND WHITE PHOTOGRAPHS WITH A DISTINCTIVE COLOR PALETTE KNOWN AS 'MIN BYUNG-HUN GREY.'