DETAILS.COM — RICK OWENS ON SHOCKING THE RUNWAY, HOLLYWOOD DEBAUCHERY, AND HIS NEW STORE — OCTOBER 2015 — BY MAX BERLINGER

OCTOBER 2015

THE DESIGNER'S LATEST SHOP IS A REFLECTION OF HIS PAST.

DESIGNER RICK OWENS SEEMS TO OCCUPY A SINGULAR SPACE IN THE FASHION WORLD, WHICH IS WHY WE CAN'T STOP TALKING ABOUT HIM. MORE THAN 20 YEARS AFTER HE INTRODUCED HIS DRAPE-Y, GOTHIC VISION OF FASHION—ONE THAT WAS GENDER FLUID LONG BEFORE AESTHETIC WAS DE RIGUEUR—HIS DESIGNS ARE STILL SOMEHOW EQUAL PARTS APOCALYPTIC AND ALLURING.

OWENS' STORY IS FASHION LORE AT THIS POINT—FROM A SMALL TOWN IN CALIFORNIA, HE STARTED HIS LINE IN THE MID-'90S WHILE LIVING AT THE CHATEAU MARMONT IN LOS ANGELES BEFORE SKIPPING TOWN FOR PARIS—NOW THE DESIGNER IS MAKING A RETURN, OF SORTS, WITH HIS NEW STORE ON LABREA AVENUE IN HOLLYWOOD. 'HOLLYWOOD IS ABOUT SELF-INVENTION, AND THAT'S WHERE I INVENTED MYSELF. SO OPENING A STORE THERE IS KIND OF A SPECIAL MOMENT,' HE SAID VIA A PRESS RELEASE. THE SPACE, JUST SHY OF 1,500-SQUARE-FEET, IS A STARK CONCRETE STRUCTURE, A FORMER RIBBON FACTORY, THAT'S BEEN 'GUTTED AND RECONFIGURED' TO ACT AS THE PERFECT FRAME FOR HIS BRUTALIST WARES. 'MY GOAL WAS TO CREATE SOMETHING CECIL B. DEMILLE-WORTHY,' THE DESIGNER SAID. HIGHLIGHTS OF THE SPACE ARE THE FOG WALL ('BASICALLY A SHALLOW GLASS TANK, COVERING A WALL FROM FLOOR TO CEILING, FILLED WITH A BILLOWING EJACULATION OF SMOKE EVERY 5 MINUTES') A SWIMMING POOL (THIS ONE A FLOOR-TO-CEILING TANK THAT RELEASES BUBBLES), AND AN OPEN COURTYARD—ALL REACTIONS TO THE SHOP'S L.A. ENVIRONS.

OWENS GRACIOUSLY ANSWERED A FEW QUESTIONS FOR US VIA EMAIL, ON HIS CATWALK SPECTACLES, HIS LOVE OF LOS ANGELES, AND HIS NAUGHTY MEMORIES OF THE NEIGHBORHOOD FROM WHEN HE CALLED IT HOME.

DETAILS: WHAT MADE YOU FEEL LIKE NOW WAS THE RIGHT TIME TO OPEN A STORE IN LOS ANGELES, A CITY YOU FAMOUSLY LEFT BEHIND?

RICK OWENS: OH NO, DOES IT SEEM LIKE I LEFT IT BEHIND? I JUST HAD TO GO TO WHERE THE FASHION FACTORIES ARE— I THINK L.A. IS FANTASTIC! THERE WERE A LOT OF PLACES TO OPEN A STORE IN THE WORLD AND WE WERE JUST WAITING FOR THE RIGHT SPACE THERE. BELIEVE ME, WE'VE BEEN LOOKING AROUND IN L.A. FOR A WHILE.

DETAILS: WHAT'S CHANGED THE MOST ABOUT THE CITY SINCE YOU LAST LIVED THERE?

RICK OWENS: I HAVE NO CLUE, I HAVEN'T BEEN BACK IN 14 YEARS. I'M AFRAID OF ALL THE TEMPTATIONS AND WONDERFUL DISTRACTIONS.

DETAILS: HOW HANDS-ON ARE YOU IN THE PROCESS OF DESIGNING YOUR STORES?

RICK OWENS: DESIGNING STORES IS ONE OF THE MOST SATISFYING ASPECTS OF WHAT I DO. WE CREATE DETAILED MODELS AND FURNITURE PROTOTYPES THAT WE INSTALL IN MY STUDIO TO TEST PROPORTIONS, TEXTURES, AND LIGHTING EFFECTS. I HAVE FLOOR PLANS ON MY IPHONE THAT I PORE OVER WHILE I'M AT THE GYM, I GET DAILY CONSTRUCTION SITE PICTURES. THERE ARE SOME STORES IN THE WORLD THAT I'VE NEVER BEEN TO PHYSICALLY, BUT I'VE LICKED EVERY SQUARE INCH CONCEPTUALLY.

I DON'T WORK WITH A COLLECTION DESIGN TEAM SO I'M IN THE STUDIO A LOT. I DECIDED A WHILE AGO THAT ANY SUCCESS WE HAD DEPENDED MORE ON ME CONCENTRATING ON THE CLOTHES, AND COUNTING ON MY BRILLIANT ARCHITECT [ANNA TUMAINI] AND DISTRIBUTION PARTNERS TO PROTECT AND CULTIVATE OUR GLOBAL PRESENCE. TRANSLATED: I DON'T LIKE BEING ON PLANES ALL THE TIME.

DETAILS: YOU MENTION EPIC BIBLICAL MOVIES AS A STARTING POINT FOR THE STORE'S INTERIOR—WHAT ARE SOME OF YOUR FAVORITE MOVIES? WHAT MOVIES INSPIRES YOUR CREATIVE PROCESS?

RICK OWENS: I LOVE BIBLICAL EPICS FOR THEIR MIX OF CAMP (CLAUDETTE COLBERT AS CLEOPATRA!), GLAMOUR, AND SPIRITUAL EARNESTNESS—IN THAT ORDER. ALL THAT EXCESS IN BLACK AND WHITE HAS OBVIOUSLY INFORMED MY AESTHETIC: GRAY ROBES DRAGGING ON GRAY STAIRS LEADING TO GRAY TEMPLES FILLED WITH WHITE DOVES AND WHITE LILIES—THAT KIND OF STUFF. AND THE VILLAINS AND VILLAINESSES ARE SO WONDERFULLY OVER THE TOP. THERE IS A SCENE OF CHARLES LAUGHTON PLAYING THE LUTE WHILE ROME BURNS IN THE SIGN OF THE CROSS, AND A POLITICALLY INCORRECT COLISEUM ARENA SEQUENCE THAT YOU JUST HAVE TO SEE TO PUT EVERYTHING I DO IN PERSPECTIVE.

DETAILS: YOUR PAST FEW SHOWS HAVE FEATURED NOTABLE SPECTACLES ON THE RUNWAY—PEOPLE WEARING PEOPLE, EXPOSED PENISES—HOW DO YOU COME UP WITH THESE SPECIAL PERFORMANCES/EXPERIENCES? ARE YOU EVER SCARED THEY'LL UPSTAGE THE ACTUAL CLOTHING?

RICK OWENS: SHOWS CAN BE ABOUT MORE THAN CLOTHES, THEY CAN BE ABOUT AN ETHOS OR A STATEMENT OF INTENT. I FEEL LIKE I WANT TO OFFER A MORE FULLY-RESOLVED, COMMITTED VISION THAT GOES BEYOND THE CLOTHES. A SHOW IS ABOUT PRESENTING A POINT OF VIEW. IT'S THE OPPORTUNITY TO MAKE A COMPOSITION THAT PRESENTS AN IDEAL OF BEAUTY NOT JUST IN MODELS IN MAKEUP AND HAIR AND IN DRESSES, BUT MAYBE ALSO BEAUTY IN MORALS, BEAUTY IN BEHAVIORAL ASPIRATION, BEAUTY IN WARMTH AND INCLUSIVENESS. I'M NOT SAYING THAT I'VE GOT A LOT OF NEW AGE ANSWERS, BUT I LIKE USING THE RUNWAY TO EXPRESS AS MUCH POSITIVE ENERGY AS I CAN GET OUT THERE WHILE I'M ON EARTH.

DETAILS: IN THE PRESS RELEASE FOR THE STORE, YOU MENTION THAT IT'S ON LA BREA, DOWN THE STREET FROM A MEXICAN DRAG BAR CALLED PLAZA WHERE YOU SPENT 'A LOT OF LATE, BOOZY NIGHTS 20 YEARS AGO.' ANY FUN MEMORIES OF THAT TIME THAT YOU CARE TO DIVULGE?

RICK OWENS: I REMEMBER GETTING KICKED OUT FOR HAVING SEX WITH SOMEONE UNDER THE TABLE ... DO PEOPLE DO THAT ANYMORE?