MARCH 2024

THE WALL STREET JOURNAL MAGAZINE — MY MONDAY MORNING: RICK OWENS — SPRING 2024 — BY JACOB GALLAGHER



RICK OWENS, THE CULT DESIGNER KNOWN FOR HIS DROP-CROTCH PANTS AND PLATFORM BOOTS, SHARES HIS INTENSE WORKOUT REGIMEN AND THE CHEAP DYE HE USES TO KEEP HIS HAIR DARK.

RICK OWENS IS ONE OF FASHION’S LAST TRUE ODDBALLS.

IN HIS RUNWAY SHOWS, THE 62-YEAR-OLD CALIFORNIA-BORN DESIGNER HAS FEATURED MODELS STRAPPED TO EACH OTHER LIKE BACKPACKS, STEP-TEAM PERFORMANCES AND AN ARSENAL OF FIREWORKS TO RIVAL ANY JULY 4 PARADE.

ON THE BUSINESS SIDE, HE’S BUILT AN EMPIRE ON PUGNACIOUS CREATIONS LIKE LEATHER JACKETS WITH SPIKED SHOULDERS AND TOTTERING PLATFORM BOOTS.

DESPITE SUCH CHALLENGING CLOTHES, THE CULT OF OWENS IS DEEP AND DIVERSE. NUMBERED AMONG HIS FANS ARE THE RAPPER YASIIN BEY, LEBRON JAMES AND TWITTER CO-FOUNDER JACK DORSEY, WHO HAS WALKED ACROSS TECH-CONFERENCE STAGES IN THE DESIGNER’S DROP-CROTCH TROUSERS AND BULBOUS SNEAKERS.

“I APPRECIATE THE FREAKS,” SAYS OWENS. “I WANT TO BE SOMEBODY THAT SAYS YOU CAN INVENT YOURSELF, THAT YOU CAN RELEASE THE FREAK WITHIN.”

CRUCIALLY, OWENS RETAINS CONTROL OF HIS BUSINESS, SWIMMING STRONGLY AGAINST THE CURRENT OF CONSOLIDATION THAT HAS SWEPT UP MANY LUXURY FASHION BRANDS. “I AM INDEPENDENT AND I CAN DO WHATEVER THE F—I WANT,” SAYS OWENS. HE SPLITS HIS TIME BETWEEN HIS FACTORY NEAR VENICE AND THE LEFT BANK PARISIAN HOME HE SHARES WITH HIS WIFE, MICHÈLE LAMY.

THE DESIGNER HIMSELF COULD BE SEEN AS HIS OWN BEST BILLBOARD. BUILT LIKE A CROSSFIT TRAINER WITH LONG RAVEN LOCKS, HE FLOATS AROUND HIS OFFICE IN SLINKY BLACK SHIRTS AND DROOPING TROUSERS OF HIS OWN DESIGN. HERE, HE SPEAKS TO WSJ. ABOUT HIS WORKOUT ROUTINE, WHY HE NAPS EVERY DAY AND HOW HE FEELS ABOUT SEEING HIS DESIGNS GET KNOCKED OFF.



WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU DO WHEN YOU WAKE UP IN THE MORNING?

I HAVE A DOUBLE ESPRESSO. I HAVE A MINIBAR IN THE DRESSING ROOM NEXT TO THE BEDROOM THAT HAS ALL THE STUFF THAT I NEED. I CONSIDERED PUTTING A TOASTER IN THERE, BUT I THOUGHT, OH, I CAN’T GET THAT DOMESTIC.

WHAT’S NEXT?

I GET BACK TO BED, AND I GO THROUGH NEW YORK AND FOREIGN EMAILS THAT HAVE ARRIVED OVERNIGHT. THEN I TURN ON THE TV, PUT ON A MOVIE AND LEAVE IT WITH THE SOUND OFF. I HAVE THAT MOVIE PLAYING CONTINUOUSLY WHILE I’M GETTING DRESSED. I HAVE AN EXPOSED SHOWER NEXT TO THE BED IN THE BEDROOM SO I CAN WATCH THE TV WHILE SHOWERING.

WHAT MOVIE DO YOU HAVE ON ROTATION RIGHT NOW?

THE BLACK CAT, FROM THE 1930S, STARRING BELA LUGOSI AND BORIS KARLOFF. IT’S BLACK-AND-WHITE, ART DECO. VISUALLY, IT’S SO BEAUTIFUL TO ME.

YOU KEEP THE MOVIE ON MUTE, SO DO YOU LISTEN TO ANYTHING?

I HAVE MUSIC ON, AND IT’S EITHER MONTSERRAT CABALLÉ [SINGING] A WAGNER OPERA, OR IT’S JULIE LONDON, BECAUSE JULIE LONDON HAS A VERY SOOTHING WAY ABOUT HER.

AND THEN YOU GET TO WORK?

I GET DRESSED IN MY DRESSING ROOM, AND THEN I GO DOWNSTAIRS TWO FLOORS TO MY OFFICE. I USUALLY HAVE AN APPOINTMENT WITH SOMEONE FROM MY TEAM ABOUT WHERE WE ARE WITH FABRIC ORDERS. I’VE ALWAYS LIVED WHERE I’VE WORKED, THE WHOLE THING ALL BLENDS TOGETHER, I DON’T SEPARATE.

WHAT DO YOU TEND TO EAT FOR LUNCH?

AVOCADOS, EGGS AND TOAST MOST OF THE TIME. OR AVOCADO, SALMON AND TORTILLAS. I DON’T DRINK ENOUGH WATER. I KEEP THINKING I SHOULD DRINK WATER, I JUST NEVER DO.

DO YOU GO OUT TO EAT?

WE HAVE A BEAUTIFUL, NICE, GREAT TERRACE, AND I’LL HAVE LUNCH ON IT IF IT’S A PRETTY DAY. WE LIVE BY THE MINISTRY OF THE DEFENSE, AND THEY HAVE A BIG GARDEN THAT ABUTS OUR TERRACE. SO IT’S LIKE BEING IN A FOREST. WE DON’T HAVE A LOT OF NEIGHBORS LOOKING INTO OUR TERRACE, SO IT FEELS VERY INSULATED, WHICH IS KIND OF MAGIC FOR THE MIDDLE OF PARIS. I’LL HAVE LUNCH THERE OUTSIDE UNDER THE TREE

AFTER LUNCH, THEN WHAT?

I WILL GO UPSTAIRS, DRAW THE CURTAINS, HAVE A COUPLE CIGARETTES WHILE I’M LOOKING THROUGH INSTAGRAM, LIKE, JUST RELAXING, AND THEN I’LL TAKE A NAP FOR AN HOUR IN MY DRESSING ROOM. A NAP IS A RETREAT AND IT’S A WAY TO GUARD MY ENERGY, BECAUSE I KNOW THAT I ONLY HAVE A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF ENERGY A DAY AND I NEED IT PROTECTED.

WHAT’S YOUR WORKOUT ROUTINE?

I GO TO THE GYM AROUND EIGHT AT J.K. PLACE, THE HOTEL AROUND THE CORNER FROM ME. IT’S A VERY SMALL HOTEL, VERY DISCREET ON A SMALL SIDE STREET, AND IT’S NEVER REALLY CROWDED. I DO STOMACH EVERY DAY—YOU JUST HAVE TO DO SIT-UPS. I DO THE KIND WHERE I’M ON MY BUTT AND YOU LIFT YOUR LEGS AND YOU LIFT YOUR TORSO SO YOU’RE KIND OF SCISSORING. I’LL DO ABOUT 90 OF THOSE—NOT IN A ROW, LIKE 30, 30, 30. THEN I’LL DO MOUNTAIN CLIMBERS—120 OF THOSE. IT SOUNDS HARD TO A LOT OF PEOPLE, BUT I ALWAYS SAY IT’S ONLY ONE DISCO SONG. YOU CAN GET ALL THIS STUFF DONE DURING “I FEEL LOVE,” BY DONNA SUMMER.

HOW DO YOU LIKE TO SPEND YOUR DAYS OFF?

THE BEST THING IS TO WALK FROM MY HOUSE, CROSS THE RIVER TO WALK THROUGH THE JARDIN DES TUILERIES, POP IN AT THE LOUVRE AND THEN COME HOME FOR A NAP. IT’S THE MOST CIVILIZED, GORGEOUS THING.

LONG BLACK HAIR IS A RICK OWENS SIGNATURE. HOW DO YOU TREAT YOUR HAIR?

I DYE IT MYSELF WITH BIGEN HAIR DYE, WHICH IS REALLY INEXPENSIVE AND GENERIC. I’VE BEEN DYEING MY HAIR WITH THAT EVER SINCE I WAS A GOTH ON HOLLYWOOD BOULEVARD. AND I DYE MY EYEBROWS, TOO, BECAUSE MY EYEBROWS AREN’T AS STRONG AS THEY USED TO BE. I ALSO GO EVERY THREE MONTHS TO A PLACE THAT CHEMICALLY STRAIGHTENS IT BECAUSE MY HAIR IS NATURALLY KIND OF CURLY. I DON’T KNOW WHAT THEY USE ON IT, I’M SURE IT’S NOT HELPING THE BALD SPOT AT ALL, BUT I’D RATHER HAVE THE CONVENIENCE. I CAN LIVE WITH A BALD SPOT.

YOU’RE WELL KNOWN FOR WEARING YOUR OWN DESIGNS. WHAT’S SOMETHING YOU’VE BEEN WEARING A LOT OF?

I WEAR PLATFORM BOOTS. PLATFORMS ARE KIND OF A PROTEST AGAINST CONSERVATIVE CLASSICAL BEAUTY. THEY ARE A FLAG FOR AN ALTERNATIVE AESTHETIC. I WEAR THEM WHEN I TRAVEL BECAUSE I WANTED TO SEE THAT GUY [IN PLATFORM BOOTS] WHEN I WAS 9, 10.

DO YOU ENJOY TRAVELING FOR YOUR JOB?

I DON’T TRAVEL SO MUCH, BECAUSE WHEREVER I’M GOING TO GO RARELY IS WORTH THE ENERGY AND THE DISAPPOINTING AESTHETICS YOU HAVE TO PUT YOURSELF THROUGH TO GET THERE.

WHAT DO YOU THINK WHEN YOU SEE SOMEONE ON THE STREET WEARING YOUR CLOTHES?

IT’S ALWAYS A DELIGHT, BUT IT’S ALMOST MORE OF A DELIGHT WHEN I SEE KNOCKOFFS. I WAS ON A METRO IN ITALY YEARS AGO, AND THERE WAS SOMEBODY WEARING A CHEAP KNOCKOFF OF ONE OF MY JACKETS. I COULDN’T HAVE BEEN MORE THRILLED. I WAS THINKING MY AESTHETIC PENETRATED THE CULTURE SO MUCH THAT IT MADE ITS WAY TO A CHEAP KNOCKOFF.

WHAT’S THE BEST ADVICE YOU’VE RECEIVED?

AT SOME POINT WHERE I WAS FRUSTRATED AS A TEENAGER, MY DAD KIND OF SARCASTICALLY SAID, “YOU KNOW, RICK, LIFE ISN’T FAIR.” THAT HAS STAYED WITH ME FOREVER.

5 MORNING MUST-HAVES

BYREDO LIP BALM

“I LOVE THE WAY THE BOTTLE WORKS. I HAVE THIS IN MY POCKET ALL DAY LONG.”

BEVERLEY NICHOLS BOOKS

“HE HAS THESE REALLY GIDDY, SILLY OBSERVATIONS THAT ARE LAUGH-OUT-LOUD FUNNY FOR ME.”

EASTER LILIES

“IT’S A SWEETER, LESS VOLUPTUOUS SMELL.”

VIENNESE SACHER CUBES

“YOU GET A HIGHER RATIO OF ICING PER CAKE, VERY IMPORTANT.”

FEVER-TREE GINGER BEER

“THEY ALWAYS HAVE IT IN BARS. EVERYBODY ELSE CAN HAVE MARTINIS, AND I CAN HAVE GINGER BEER.”