ELLE CHINA – OCTOBER 2009

OCTOBER 2009

</p>

COULD YOU TELL US ABOUT YOUR FAMILY BACKGROUND? AND DO YOU THINK YOUR UPBRINGING HAS INFLUENCED YOUR STYLE? IF SO, HOW? 

I'M A CALIFORNIA CATHOLIC SCHOOL CLICHÉ. I GREW UP AN ONLY CHILD IN A SMALL CONSERVATIVE TOWN. MY PARENTS DIDN'T ALLOW A TV IN THE HOUSE, BUT HAD A BIG LIBRARY AND CLASSICAL MUSIC COLLECTION. I GREW UP READING HUYSMANS, COLETTE, LOTI, AND LISTENING TO DEBUSSY, WAGNER AND MAHLER. OUTSIDE OF THE HOUSE, I GRAVITATED TOWARDS HEAVY METAL LIKE KISS AND ALICE COOPER. I COULDN'T WAIT TO LEAVE AND GO OUT OF CONTROL. AND I DID. THE RESULTS ARE SO OBVIOUS. I'M ABOUT AS COMPLEX AS A CARTOON. 

WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN LIVING IN PARIS AND L.A.? WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENCES IN TERMS OF FASHION IN THE TWO CITIES? 

I HAVEN'T BEEN BACK TO L.A. FOR 7 YEARS BUT THERE'S A DIRECTNESS TO AMERICAN STYLE THAT'S VERY APPEALING. BUT IT'S VERY CLEAN AND I FELT THAT MY CLOTHES WOULD BECOME MARGINALIZED IN THAT ENVIRONMENT AS TOO WEIRD. I STARTED SHOWING MY CLOTHES IN PARIS BECAUSE NOTHING'S TOO WEIRD THERE. I'M NOT EVEN WEIRD ENOUGH. 

WHAT IS THE BEST DESIGN YOU HAVE EVER DONE IN ALL OF YOUR PREVIOUS COLLECTIONS? 

THE DESIGN THAT I'M PROBABLY RECOGNIZED THE MOST FOR IS A WASHED LEATHER MOTORCYCLE JACKET. 

HOW DO YOU FEEL WHEN PEOPLE YOU REFER YOU AS A 'RADICAL' IN THE FASHION BUSINESS? 

FLATTERED. I'M FLATTERED TO BE REFERRED TO AT ALL. 

WHO IS YOUR FAVOURITE FASHION DESIGNER? AND WHY? 

PROBABLY MARIANO FORTUNY. DOING THOSE CLOTHES AT THAT TIME MUST HAVE BEEN AS RADICAL AS PUNK ROCK. I LOVE GOING TO HIS PALAZZO IN VENICE, ESPECIALLY DURING THE PAST 2 BIENNALES. AXEL VERVOORDT, THE BELGIAN COLLECTOR, INSTALLS A SHOW OF CONTEMPORARY AND ANCIENT ART IN THE SPACE, LEAVING FORTUNY'S FURNISHINGS AND ART IN THE SPACE AS WELL. YOU DON'T KNOW WHICH COLLECTION IS VERVOORDT'S AND WHICH IS FORTUNY'S. HEAVEN. 

HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR WORK STYLE? 

EILEEN GREY AND JOSEPH BEUYS OPEN A LEATHER BAR TOGETHER AND INVITE KISS OVER. 

WHERE DO YOU GET YOUR INSPIRATIONS FROM MOST OF THE TIME? 

ARCHITECTURE. LOOKING AT BEAUTIFUL SPACES BY LUIGI MORETTI OR FRANK LLOYD WRIGHT OR ROBERT MALLET-STEVENS REMINDS ME TO BE CONSISTENT AND COMMITTED. 

DO YOU ENJOY DESIGNING BAGS? DO YOU ENJOY DESIGNING SHOES MORE? 

I'VE HAD A LOT TO LEARN TECHNICALLY TO GET WHAT I WANTED, AND I'M STARTING TO REALLY ENJOY IT. I DO THINK I ENJOY SHOES MORE. I BELIEVE THE SHOES SAY IT ALL. 

WHAT ARE THE ESSENTIAL DETAILS IN YOUR JACKET DESIGN? AND IS THERE SPECIFIC ELEMENT/DETAIL THAT YOU FOCUS ON WHEN DESIGNING A NEW COLLECTION? 

I LIKE SLIM, LONG, LONG SLEEVES AND A SMALL SHOULDER WITH HIGH ARMHOLES. THEN I LIKE EVERYTHING CASCADING AND WRAPPING DOWN AROUND THE BODY FROM THERE. WHEN I START A NEW COLLECTION, I USUALLY FIND ONE OR TWO NEW VOLUMES OR LINES TO PLAY WITH. I LIKE SIMPLICITY, BUT IF I'M GOING TO INTRODUCE SOMETHING NEW EVERY SEASON, I ENJOY A MOMENT OF EXAGGERATION. 

WHAT IS THE MOST IMPORTANT THING YOU NEED AT WORK? 

ORDER. 

CAN YOU SHARE WITH US SOME OF THE DESIGNS/THINGS YOU'VE DONE THAT HAS BROKEN THE SO-CALLED 'RULES OF FASHION/STYLE'? 

I SUPPOSE I PROMOTE A RAWNESS THAT I'VE HEARD REFERRED TO AS ANTI-FASHION BY SOME. 

WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE COLOUR? AND WHY? 

I LIKE THE GENTLENESS AND AMBIGUITY OF GREY. THERE'S SO MANY DIFFERENT GREYS AND THEY CAN SUGGEST DAWN OR TWILIGHT; A HUSHED TRANSITIONAL MOMENT...MYSTERY. 

WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE FABRIC? AND WHY? 

FINE COTTON JERSEY. MODEST, FUNCTIONAL, NAKED FEELING. 

DO YOU HAVE A MUSE? WHO IS IT? AND WHY? 

OF COURSE, THE HUN, MY BETTER HALF. I'M A CONCRETE BLOCK, SHE'S A FOG OF PERFUME. 

WHERE IS YOUR FAVOURITE PLACE TO SHOP? 

LA GRANDE EPICERIE IN PARIS, FOR GROCERIES. 

WHO ARE YOUR FAVOURITE MUSICIANS? 

MONTSERRAT CABALLE AND IGGY POP. 

WHAT KIND OF MUSIC DO YOU LISTEN TO? 

I'VE BEEN LISTENING TO THE NEW DISCO THAT'S COMING OUT LIKE HARD TON, SHIT ROBOT AND CRAZY BITCH IN A CAVE. I LIKE THAT GIDDINESS AND SUPERFICIALITY. WHEN I WORK OUT I LISTEN TO HARDSTYLE LIKE TRANCE GENERATORS. I'LL ALWAYS HAVE A PLACE IN MY HEART FOR IGGY'S 'THE IDIOT' ALBUM OR THE SISTERS OF MERCY, BUT AT THIS POINT IT'S A NOSTALGIC MEMORY. 

ARE YOU PLEASED WITH THE 'GOTH' TAG THAT THE FASHION WORLD HAS ATTACHED TO YOU? 

I WOULDN'T HAVE CHOSEN IT BUT I UNDERSTAND WHY IT HAPPENED AND DON'T FIGHT IT. NEXT TO A LOT OF LABELS, I SUPPOSE I AM. MY FAVORITE WAS BEING CALLED 'THE GRANDFATHER OF GOTH.' YOU HAVE TO LAUGH AT THAT. 

HOW WOULD YOU DEFINE YOUR STYLE IN SIMPLE WORDS? HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR CLOTHES TO SOMEONE WHO HAS NEVER SEEN THEM? 

I SAID 'BROKEN IDEALISM' ONCE, AND THAT STILL SOUNDS ABOUT RIGHT. 

AS THE FASHION PR OF V2K DESIGNERS [THE MULTI-LABEL STORE THAT CARRIES YOUR COLLECTIONS IN ISTANBUL, TURKEY], I HAVE NOTICED THAT YOUR CLOTHES ARE ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE TO TAKE FLAT IMAGES OF. I WONDER WHAT YOUR DESIGN PROCESS IS LIKE? DO YOU SKETCH FIRST? BECAUSE THEY ALSO SEEM IMPOSSIBLE TO BE CONCEIVED TWO-DIMENSIONALLY. 

I GUESS I'M JUST ONE OF THOSE PEOPLE THAT CAN TRANSLATE 3D TO FLAT IN MY HEAD. I CAN'T DO MATH FOR SHIT. 

YOUR NAME IS VERY MUCH SYNONYMOUS WITH YOUR WIFE AND BUSINESS PARTNER, MICHELE LAMY. HOW DID YOU TWO MEET? 

THIS GUY I WAS GOING OUT WITH WAS A MUTUAL FRIEND AND ARRANGED FOR ME TO WORK FOR HER. SHE HAD A COLLECTION OF HER OWN AT THE TIME IN LOS ANGELES. IT TOOK 2 YEARS BEFORE I COULD UNDERSTAND HER HEAVY FRENCH ACCENT, AND THEN IT WAS INEVITABLE. COULD YOU SEE EITHER ONE OF US WITH ANYONE ELSE? I'M PRETTY SURE WE WERE MADE FOR EACH OTHER. SHE HAS ALL THE QUALITIES I DON'T: SPONTANEITY, INSTINCT, DEEP EMOTION AND PERCEPTION. SHE'S MY PERSONAL BEAUTIFUL WITCH. 

IN MY POINT OF VIEW, THERE'S A TIME FOR EVERY DESIGNER IN THE HISTORY OF FASHION. MID-'80S WERE THE VERSACE YEARS, CALVIN KLEIN RULED IN THE EARLY '90S, ETC. I THINK WE ARE HAVING A RICK OWENS MOMENT NOWADAYS, AS WE SEE YOUR CREATIONS (ESPECIALLY THE LEATHER JACKETS) ON ALMOST EVERYONE FROM THE YOUNG HOLLYWOOD TYPES TO THE TOP FASHION EDITORS. IN THE MEANTIME, YOU ARE ALSO WIDENING YOUR RETAIL TERRITORY WITH STORES IN NEW YORK AND LONDON. WHY DO YOU THINK IT IS HAPPENING NOW? 

WHO CAN FIGURE THIS KIND OF THING OUT? IT COULD BE SOMETHING AS PROSAIC AS HAVING HAD GOOD PARTNERS THAT DELIVERED THE MERCHANDISE IN ENOUGH TIME FOR THE CLOTHES TO HAVE A GOOD SELL-THROUGH IN STORES AND CREATE A GOOD REPUTATION WITH BUYERS WHO THEN FEATURED THEM AND PROMOTED THEM TO CLIENTS WHO THEN HAD AN EXTRA MINUTE TO GET USED TO THAT AESTHETIC. THERE WILL ALWAYS BE A PLACE IN THE FASHION WORLD FOR A DARK ELEGANCE. MAYBE I WAS ABLE TO PROPOSE SOMETHING LIKE THAT IN THE RIGHT PLACE AT THE RIGHT TIME. 

AND YOU ARE STILL KEEPING IT QUIET IN ADVERTISING. WHY? IS THAT A WAY OF AVOIDING TO BECOME A MAINSTREAM BRAND AND STAY AS MYSTERIOUS AS YOU CAN BE? 

I WANTED MY CLOTHES TO BE A QUIET STORY. I DIDN'T START MY COLLECTIONS WITH ADVERTISING AND AM PERFECTLY CONTENT WITH THE PACE OF OUR GROWTH. IF I WERE MY CLIENT, I THINK I WOULD CRINGE TO SEE THIS LABEL ADVERTISE. 

DOES IT BOTHER YOU TO SEE FAMOUS PEOPLE WEARING YOUR CREATIONS? YOU DON'T SEEM THE TYPE WHO ENJOYS CELEBRITY PR. 

FRANKLY, I'M PLEASED TO SEE ANYBODY RESPOND TO MY CLOTHES. I DIDN'T MEAN FOR IT TO BE AN EXCLUSIVE CLUB; RATHER, AN INCLUSIVE ONE. FAMOUS PEOPLE ARE AS WELCOME TO WEAR MY CLOTHES AS NON-FAMOUS ONES. 

WITH STORES IN PARIS, NEW YORK AND LONDON, HOW DO YOU SEE THE CLIENT PROFILE OF THE THREE CITIES? HOW DO YOU EXPECT THE RICK OWENS CLIENTELE IN ISTANBUL WILL BE? 

I WOULD PROBABLY AVOID CATEGORIZING OR CHARACTERIZING PEOPLE FROM THE DIFFERENT COUNTRIES I SELL TO. BUT FOR SOMEONE WHO IS SOMEWHAT RECLUSIVE, I DO FEEL THAT THIS WAS MY WAY OF PERSONALLY ENGAGING WITH EACH INDIVIDUAL PERSON THAT FELT A CONNECTION TO MY CLOTHES. AND I ALLOW MYSELF TO BE VERY FULFILLED WITH THAT. 

YOU'VE ALSO STARTED DESIGNING FURNITURE. WHAT PROMPTED YOU? 

ANYONE GIVEN THE OPTION WOULD CUSTOMIZE EVERYTHING THEY ENGAGE WITH EVERY DAY. I FULLY INTEND TO GO AS FAR AS CUSTOMIZING MY LIGHT SOCKETS. 

WHAT IS THE FURNITURE COLLECTION LIKE? 

I WANT IT TO FURNISH AN ART DECO LEATHER BAR DESIGNED BY EILEEN GREY AND LE CORBUSIER WITH MONTSERRAT CABALLE SINGING IN THE BACKGROUND. 

ANOTHER THING YOU HAVE DESIGNED IS YOUR BODY, I GUESS. WHAT IS THE SECRET TO HAVING A SCULPTURAL ONE LIKE YOURS? I SAW THESE AWESOME PICTURES OF YOU WORKING OUT IN INDUSTRIE MAGAZINE. HOW OFTEN DO YOU GO TO THE GYM? 

I GO 5 TIMES A WEEK. IT USED TO BE ABOUT HEALTH AND POWER BUT NOW IT'S BECOME ABOUT RELEASE AND MEDITATION. IT'S BECOME A PERSONAL RITUAL FOR FEELING FULLY ALIVE, LIKE DISCO DANCING TO THE SUPERLOUD MUSIC ON MY EARPHONES. IT'S BECOME AS NORMAL AS BRUSHING MY TEETH EVERY DAY. 

I'VE THIS QUOTE OF YOU PRINTED THAT SITS ON MY FRIDGE DOOR: 'BUY LESS CLOTHING AND GO TO THE GYM INSTEAD.' ISN'T IT A CONTROVERSIAL THING TO SAY FOR SOMEONE WHO MAKES AND SELLS CLOTHES? 

WELL, OBVIOUSLY I WAS BEING GLIB, BUT I WOULD HOPE THE FEWER PIECES YOU BOUGHT WOULD BE MINE. 

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF GARETH PUGH? I KNOW YOU ARE A HUGE SUPPORTER. 

GARETH HAS A DISTINCTIVE VISION THAT HE CAN CREATE USING THIN AIR. I LOVE HIS TECHNICAL PROWESS AND FOCUS AND HIS GRACEFUL EXECUTION OF IT. 

STILL TALKING IN F/W 2010-11 TERMS, WHAT DOES THE WORD 'GLEAM' MEAN TO YOU? 

A QUIET AND CALM SUPERNATURAL SHINE. 

WHAT IS A PERFECT DAY IN PARIS?