BAZAAR MEN’S STYLE CHINA – MAY 2013

MAY 2013

YOU'VE ONCE SAID THAT YOUR CLOTHES ARE AN AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF YOUR LIFE. PLEASE SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS ABOUT HOW YOUR LIFE AND YOUR DESIGN ARE RELATED TO EACH OTHER?</b>

WHEN I STARTED, I ALWAYS RESENTED HOW DESIGNERS WOULD PRESENT AN IDEALIZED RUNWAY VISION AND THEN COME OUT AT THE END IN JEANS AND A T-SHIRT, DISASSOCIATING REAL LIFE FROM RUNWAY LIFE. I THOUGHT THEY SHOULD BE THE SAME, SO I'VE ALWAYS TRIED TO PRESENT A VISION THAT WAS EXTREME BUT RELEVANT TO REAL LIFE. NOT TOO SHINY, A BIT DAMAGED BUT ASPIRATIONAL AND SOMETIMES QUIETLY FLAMBOYANT.

PEOPLE ALWAYS APPLY TAGS LIKE 'DARK', 'GOTH', 'DISTRESSED' TO YOUR DESIGN, DOES IT MEAN THAT'S SOMETHING EXISTING IN YOUR LIFE OR MIND? OR DO THEY JUST REFLECT SOME MEMORIES FROM YOUR EARLY LIFE?

MY INTENTION IS TO PRESENT SOMETHING RESERVED, DISCREET AND SOMBER, I SUPPOSE IT'S EASY TO INTERPRET THAT AS DARK. BUT ADMITTEDLY, I'VE ALWAYS ENJOYED A BIT OF GOOD NATURED FEROCITY AND RECKLESSNESS IN MUSIC AND ART SO I GUESS THAT COMES THROUGH.

SOME PEOPLE THINK YOUR DESIGN IS WILD, WHILE SOME THINK IT'S ROMANTIC, WHAT DO YOU COMMENT ON YOUR OWN WORK?

I'M ACTUALLY TRYING TO JUST DO SOMETHING REALISTIC THAT'S A REFLECTION OF EVERYTHING WE'VE ALL LEARNED TOGETHER. WILDNESS AND ROMANCE ARE A BIG PART OF OUR COLLECTIVE INNER LIVES.

WE CAN TELL A VERY CLEAR SIGNATURE OF RICK OWENS FROM EACH OF YOUR SHOWS OR EVEN EACH PIECE, MEANWHILE, WE CAN ALSO FEEL IT CHANGES SLIGHTLY FROM SEASON TO SEASON. HOW DO YOU THINK YOUR MIND AND CONCEPT HAVE CHANGED THROUGH THE YEARS?

I LIKE THE CONSTRUCTION OF CLOTHES SO I WAS ALWAYS CONSCIOUS OF CREATING MY OWN CONSTRUCTION LANGUAGE THAT WOULD IDENTIFY MY CLOTHES AS MINE. IN THE BEGINNING, I WAS ENAMORED WITH POETIC COLLAPSE BUT AS I GOT OLDER I BECAME MORE INTERESTED IN RIGOR AND CONTROL. BUT THIS PURSUIT OF CONTROL COMES WITH THE RESIGNATION OF INEVITABLE FINAL COLLAPSE.

FOR THE LATEST COLLECTION, WE CAN SEE YOUR DESIGN SEEMS TO BE BASED ON A CONFRONTATION OF ELEGANCE AND A CERTAIN WILDNESS. WOULD THAT BE A WAY, FOR YOU, TO REDEFINE BEAUTY?

THIS IS THE KIND OF BEAUTY I PROPOSE. BUT AS A GENTLE PROPOSAL. NOT A STRIDENT PROCLAMATION.

ARE YOU A PERFECTIONIST? WHY?

YES, I AM A HOPELESS IDEALIST. THE IDEAL IS IMPOSSIBLE BUT THE STRUGGLE TOWARDS IT IS GLORY ENOUGH.

HOW DO YOU TREAT IMPERFECTIONS BOTH IN LIFE AND IN YOUR DESIGN?

AFFECTIONATELY.

IF ONE'S DESIGN CAN BE CLASSIFIED BY NATIONALITY, WHAT IS YOUR DESIGN'S NATIONALITY?

UNIVERSAL.

WHO OR WHAT IS YOUR MUSE?

THE PURSUIT OF BEAUTY.

BETWEEN MUSIC AND ARCHITECTURE, WHICH INFLUENCES YOU MORE? HOW?

PROBABLY MUSIC BECAUSE I'M MORE IMMERSED IN IT PHYSICALLY WHERE THE IMMERSION IS MORE THEORETICAL WHEN IT COMES TO BEAUTIFUL ARCHITECTURE. IF I HAD TO CHOOSE ONE KIND OF MUSIC ON A DESERT ISLAND IT WOULD PROBABLY BE OPERA.

WHAT INNOVATES YOU TO DESIGN THE FURNITURE COLLECTIONS?

I WANTED TO IMBUE EVERYTHING AROUND ME WITH AS MUCH MAGIC AS POSSIBLE– T-SHIRTS, FURS, TOILETS, LIGHT SWITCHES, CHAIRS... MAKING THE MOST EVERYDAY THINGS AROUND ME SPECIAL IS WHAT I LIVE FOR, WHICH COULD BE INCREDIBLY SUPERFICIAL OR INCREDIBLY SPIRITUAL; I'M NOT SURE YET BUT DON'T REALLY CARE.

WHY DID YOU MAKE A FULL-SCALE WAX STATUE OF YOUR SELF? DO YOU HAVE THE SAME FEELING WHEN YOU LOOK AT IT NOW AS WHEN YOU FIRST SEE IT?

I THOUGHT IT WAS AN AMUSING ALTERNATIVE TO THE IDEA OF COMMISSIONING A CLASSICAL PORTRAIT TO HANG OVER THE MANTEL OF MY HOUSE IN PARIS. IT WAS AN EXERCISE IN VANITY, EGO AND MORTALITY THAT WAS WEIRD, FUNNY AND SAD ALL AT THE SAME TIME. IT WAS ABOUT CAPTURING A MOMENT IN THE MOST ARTIFICIAL AND DELICIOUSLY CREEPY WAY. BUT HAVING IT IN THE HOUSE BECAME HEAVY (I DON'T REALLY LIKE PHOTOS, PAINTINGS OR PICTURES ON THE WALLS EITHER) SO I PUT IT IN THE PARIS STORE, WHICH WAS TOO BEAUTIFUL AND NEEDED A DISTURBING ELEMENT. NOW IT SEEMS TO HAVE BECOME A TRADITION FOR ALL MY STORES TO HAVE ONE.

DO YOU HAVE ANY PLAN TO EXPAND YOUR MARKET IN CHINA? YOUR COLLECTIONS ARE QUITE POPULAR HERE, I'M SURE THE CHINESE CONSUMER WILL GIVE YOU A WARM WELCOME.

UNFORTUNATELY, SOMEONE ALREADY TRADEMARKED MY NAME IN CHINA AND I'M HAVING A HARD TIME LEGALLY HAVING IT RELEASED TO ME. PLEASE START DEMONSTRATING IN THE STREETS ON MY BEHALF.

TO US, YOU HAVE ACHIEVED GREAT SUCCESS IN YOUR PROFESSIONAL FIELD; DO YOU THINK YOU HAVE ARRIVED AT THE HIGHLIGHT OF YOUR CAREER?

WELL, I'VE CERTAINLY GOTTEN FURTHER THAN I EVER THOUGHT OR PROBABLY DESERVE SO IF IT ALL ENDED HERE I WOULD CONSIDER MYSELF BLESSED

WHAT'S YOUR NEXT PLAN, BOTH IN LIFE AND IN YOUR CAREER?