NUMÉRO — RICK OWENS: ‘WE ALL STRUGGLE WITH WHO WE ARE. WE HAVE SHAME, WE HAVE PRIDE, WE HAVE SELF DELUSION.’ — MARCH 2018 — BY DELPHINE ROCHE

MARCH 2018

‘FASHION IS A FLEETING THING, MADE OF EXTRAVAGANCE, FANCY, AND EMOTION,’ STATED DIANA VREELAND. THIS SAME UNCONVENTIONAL SPIRIT HAS DRIVEN AMERICAN RICK OWENS SINCE THE START OVER TWENTY YEARS AGO. TODAY, HIS WORLD OF CONTRAST IS BEING HONORED IN MILAN FOR HIS FIRST MUSEUM EXHIBITION, DEMONSTRATING THE SCOPE OF THIS UNUSUAL CREATIVE PERSONALITY. EMOTION AND FANCY ALSO PENETRATE THE MUSIC OF THE IBEYI SISTERS, WHO MIX ELECTRONIC MUSIC WITH THE SOUNDS OF CUBA, JAZZ, AND SOUL TO CARRY THEIR VIBRANT PERSONALITIES BEYOND BORDERS. AS FOR MARTIN MARGIELA, HIS UNIQUE, PIONEERING, AND TRANSGRESSIVE SPIRIT HAS HAD A PROFOUND IMPACT ON THE HISTORY OF FASHION. THE PALAIS GALLIERA HONORS HIS GENIUS IN AN UPCOMING RETROSPECTIVE. IN THIS ISSUE CELEBRATING FASHION, THE MIX OF STYLES REVEALS ITS MANY FACETS UNDER THE LENS OF FAMOUS PHOTOGRAPHER JEAN-BAPTISTE MONDINO. CONTEMPORARY AND FANCIFUL, HAUTE COUTURE IS REVEALED UNDERNEATH THE FINERY OF A NEO COUTURE TO EMBRACE WITHOUT RESTRAINT AND EXPRESS ITS OWN EMOTIONS.

A HARD-HITTING AND UNCONVENTIONAL DESIGNER, RICK OWENS HAS BEEN MIXING SOPHISTICATED AESTHETICS AND PUNK RAGE, MINIMALISM AND FLAMBOYANCE, IN EVERY CREATIVE FIELD FROM FASHION TO FURNITURE SINCE 1994. HIS CULT OF CHAOS IS NOW TAKING OVER THE TRIENNALE DI MILANO, WHICH IS HONORING HIM WITH THE VERY FIRST MAJOR RETROSPECTIVE OF HIS CAREER. MEET HIM BELOW.

NUMÉRO: HOW DID THIS EXHIBITION COME ABOUT?

RICK OWENS: IT’S NOT LIKE I APPROACHED ANYBODY… THE TRIENNALE PEOPLE JUST CALLED OUT OF THE BLUE. AND SINCE MY GROUP IS ITALIAN AND MY FACTORIES ARE IN ITALY, IT SEEMED PERFECTLY LOGICAL TO DO SOMETHING IN MILAN. MILAN IS ONE OF THE CAPITALS OF FASHION, SO I FELT RATHER FLATTERED BY THIS PROPOSAL AND RESPONDED WITH ENTHUSIASM. IT’S NOT EVERY DAY I GET ASKED TO DO A RETROSPECTIVE! I WAS ESPECIALLY HAPPY THAT I WAS ALLOWED TO DESIGN THIS EXHIBITION. BECAUSE IT’S ALMOST AN OBITUARY… AFTER ALL, I ALWAYS TEND TO LOOK AT THE THINGS ON THE DARK SIDE. BUT IT IS WHAT IT IS: DETERMINING HOW YOU WANT TO BE SEEN FOR ETERNITY. SO IT’S BETTER TO BE ABLE TO DO IT YOURSELF THAN TO LET SOMEONE ELSE DO IT. LETTING SOMEONE ELSE INTERPRET MY WORK WOULD DRIVE ME CRAZY. I CAN’T THINK OF ANYONE ELSE ON THE PLANET I WOULD TRUST WITH THIS ROLE. WELL, MICHÈLE [LAMY, THE DESIGNER’S WIFE] WOULD DO IT VERY WELL, OBVIOUSLY. BUT IT’S FABULOUS TO BE ABLE TO CONTROL HOW YOU PRESENT YOURSELF TO THE WORLD. SO I WAS VERY HAPPY TO BE ABLE TO EXHIBIT THIS PROJECT, DESPITE THIS ‘FINALITY’ ASPECT THAT ACCOMPANIES IT. IT COULD BE DISTURBING IF I ALLOWED MYSELF TO BE DISTURBED, BUT THAT WOULD BE TOO INDULGENT. THERE’S UNDENIABLY A MELANCHOLIC SIDE TO THIS EXERCISE: A RETROSPECTIVE IS LIKE A PHOTOGRAPH THAT IMMORTALIZES YOU AT THE PEAK OF YOUR FAME, WHICH AROUSES A FEAR OF SEEING YOURSELF GO DOWNHILL FROM THERE.

WAS IT CRUCIAL FOR YOU TO ALSO INCLUDE FURNITURE YOU DESIGNED IN THIS EXHIBITION?

YES, BECAUSE IT’S CLOSELY CONNECTED WITH MY FASHION DESIGN. I CALLED THIS EXHIBITION SUBHUMAN INHUMAN SUPERHUMAN – A TRULY POMPOUS NAME. I TRIED TO MITIGATE THIS PRETENTIOUS ASPECT BY DESCRIBING IT AS A WORK OF ARTE POVERA. AN ARTE POVERA GESAMTKUNSTWERK: IT’S SUCH AN ABSURD AND RIDICULOUS CONCEPT THAT IT CAN’T BE POMPOUS. I ALWAYS WANTED TO OFFER A COMPLETE WAY OF LIFE IN MY CREATIONS, NOT JUST CLOTHES FOR SUNDAY OR SPECIAL OCCASIONS. I WANTED TO HAVE A COMPLETE AND SYSTEMATIC APPROACH BECAUSE IT’S MORE REAL. I RELIED ON WHAT SEEMS RIGHT TO ME. EVERYONE HAS THEIR HEROES. MINE ARE DONALD JUDD AND MICHAEL HEIZER. THESE ARE PEOPLE WHO ARE REALLY COMMITTED TO THEIR AESTHETIC. THAT’S THE KIND OF CREATOR I’M INTERESTED IN, AND SO THAT’S THE KIND OF PERSON I TRY TO BE.

WHAT EXACTLY DOES THE TITLE OF THE EXHIBITION REFER TO?

IT PRESENTS A PROBLEM WE CAN ALL RELATE TO. WE ARE ALL CONSTANTLY DEVALUATING WHO WE ARE, WHO WE’RE TRYING TO BE, AND WHO WE’VE BEEN IN THE PAST. WE EXPERIENCE SHAME, PRIDE, WE’RE SOMETIMES TOTALLY BLIND TO OUR OWN ISSUES. I THINK WE ALL FIND IT HARD TO ACCEPT AND LOVE OURSELVES BECAUSE WE SEE OUR OWN FAULTS SO CLEARLY. WELL, THIS IS ALL AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL. I’M JUST ASSUMING OTHER PEOPLE’S EMOTIONS ARE SIMILAR TO MINE. IN ANY CASE, I THINK MY QUESTIONING AND MY PERMANENT STRUGGLE WITH MYSELF ARE STILL WIDELY SHARED. WE ALL EXPERIENCE MOMENTS WHERE WE’RE INHUMAN, MOMENTS WHERE WE’RE FULL OF OURSELVES, AND MOMENTS WHERE WE DEMONSTRATE TRUE KINDNESS. I’M JUST TRYING TO FIND A BALANCE BETWEEN THESE DIFFERENT CONFLICTING FORCES. I DON’T BELIEVE ANYONE IS TRULY SERENE. WE ARE CONSTANTLY STRUGGLING WITH OURSELVES. I THINK THE TITLE OF MY RETROSPECTIVE SUMMARIZES ALL OF THAT PRETTY WELL: IT’S THE STORY OF HUMANITY.

SO THIS EXHIBITION IS SORT OF YOUR AUTOBIOGRAPHY? IT’S TRUE THAT YOU CAN’T DISSOCIATE YOUR WORK FROM YOUR PERSONALITY, UNLIKE FASHION DESIGNERS WHO PRESENT EXTRAVAGANT FIGURES ON THE RUNWAY AND THEN GREET THE AUDIENCE IN BLACK JEANS AND A T-SHIRT…

YES, I’VE NEVER UNDERSTOOD HOW THE AUDIENCE DOESN’T FEEL INSULTED. I REALLY DON’T GET IT. BUT IT’S CRAZY… NOW I’M STARTING TO JUDGE OTHER PEOPLE. IT’S MY INHUMAN SIDE. AFTER ALL, YOU CAN DO THINGS VERY WELL IN A DIFFERENT WAY FROM MINE, HAVE OTHER PRIORITIES. YOU SEE, I’M CONSTANTLY CRITICIZING MYSELF, THEN CORRECTING MYSELF, AND THEN FORGIVING MYSELF. I’M VERY BUSY!

HAVE YOU EVER TRIED MEDITATION?

EXERCISE IS MY MEDITATION. I ALSO TAKE A NAP EVERY DAY. IT CAME NATURALLY TO ME. IT’S NOT LIKE I JUST DECIDED THAT I HAD TO DO THIS RITUAL AS SOME SORT OF MEDITATION. IT ALLOWS ME TO HAVE A MOMENT TO MYSELF. AND WHEN I WAKE UP, I OFTEN HAVE A NEW OUTLOOK ON MY PROBLEMS AND SOMETIMES EVEN A GOOD IDEA. IT’S A FORM OF DISCIPLINE THAT LETS ME MAKE THE MOST OF MY OWN RESOURCES AND CONSERVE MY ENERGY. SO IT’S A KIND OF MEDITATION RITUAL, EVEN THOUGH IT’S PRETTY SPONTANEOUS, EVEN PRIMITIVE.

YOU’VE ALWAYS MENTIONED RAGE AS AN ENERGY THAT FUELS CREATION. WHAT PLACE DOES IT HAVE IN YOUR EXHIBITION?

I ADDED A SCULPTURAL ELEMENT TO THE MUSEUM THAT RUNS THROUGH ALL THE ROOMS. I SEE IT AS A ‘PRIMAL’ VORTEX, A CONCENTRATION OF DRIVE, AMBITION, ALMOST LIKE A KIND OF ECTOPLASMIC VOMIT. OR EVEN A WORK CREATED FROM THE EARTH, A MOUNTAIN OF RAGE. I’VE BEEN THINKING A LOT LATELY ABOUT THE ROLE OF EVIL IN THE WORLD. EVIL IS A NECESSARY PART OF LIFE. IT’S NOT NECESSARILY ABOUT ERADICATING IT, BUT RATHER ABOUT DOING POSITIVE THINGS THAT BALANCE IT OUT. IN RECENT YEARS, THERE HAVE BEEN TIMES WHERE THE FORCES OF EVIL HAVE PREVAILED, POLITICALLY. I DON’T CLAIM TO HAVE THE SOLUTION. I JUST THINK ABOUT HOW TO LIVE WITH ALL THIS NEGATIVITY. THE ONLY ANSWER I SEE IS THAT IN COPING WITH DISCOMFORT OR SUFFERING, WE NOW HAVE AN UNPRECEDENTED AMOUNT OF LUXURY: A LEVEL OF KNOWLEDGE WE DID NOT HAVE BEFORE. AND KNOWLEDGE IS POWER. THE WORLD HAS NEVER KNOWN SUCH LUXURY. BUT SORRY… WE WERE TALKING ABOUT RAGE. IF I EXPERIENCE RAGE, I ALSO EXPERIENCE MOMENTS OF SERENITY. AND I SEEK SERENITY. BUT I MUST ADMIT THAT RAGE HAS BEEN A SOURCE OF IMMENSE MOTIVATION IN MY LIFE. RAGE HAS SERVED ME WELL. BEING IN A SITUATION OF HAVING TO REACT TO PRESSURE, TO CONFLICT, CAN PROVE TO BE VERY POSITIVE. I USE CHAOS, BUT IN A VERY CONTROLLED WAY, I GUESS. IN MY EXHIBITION, THE MODELS WEARING MY CLOTHES MINGLE WITH DOCUMENTS SUCH AS VIDEOS OF MY FASHION SHOWS SHOWN IN BLACK AND WHITE AND SLOWED DOWN. IT PROVIDES A FRESH PERSPECTIVE ON THINGS WE’VE ALREADY SEEN. I’M ALSO EXHIBITING INVITATIONS TO MY FASHION SHOWS. THERE’S ALSO A VIDEO I RECORDED ON MY IPHONE IN MY FACTORY IN ITALY. BY CHANCE, I STARTED FILMING MYSELF JUST AS I FOUND A SHAPE THAT BECAME IMPORTANT IN MY WORK, JUST BY DRAPING A FABRIC. IN SHORT, ALL OF THIS CREATES A NARRATIVE. IT’S NOT CHAOTIC, IT’S VERY CONSTRUCTED. SOME PEOPLE MIGHT EVEN SEE IT AS A KIND OF STIFFNESS.

YOUR AESTHETIC DRAWS ON THE SYMBOLISM OF THE 19TH CENTURY, PUNK, GRUNGE…

BUT I CAN ALSO GET INSPIRED BY CHILDREN’S DRAWINGS, AFRICAN SCULPTURES… WE COULD ENTERTAIN OURSELVES BY FINDING ALL THE REFERENCES I EVOKE IN MY DESIGNS ONE BY ONE. BECAUSE THAT’S WHAT CREATORS DO: WE WORK FROM HISTORICAL LAYERS. WE DON’T INVENT ANYTHING NEW; WE JUST FIND NEW WAYS TO PUT TOGETHER EXISTING THINGS. FOR MY EXHIBITION CATALOG, FOR EXAMPLE, I WAS INSPIRED BY MARCEL DUCHAMP’S ‘VALISES.’ I DESIGNED A BOX, WHICH IS MY OWN VERSION OF THESE VALISES. IT ALSO BRINGS TO MIND OLD MUSIC ALBUMS, WITH THEIR BOOKLETS INSIDE, WHICH WERE INVALUABLE. WHEN WE BOUGHT A RECORD OR A CD, WE TREASURED THOSE IMAGES WE FOUND INSIDE THE CASE. I TRIED TO REPRODUCE THIS EFFECT WITH MY BOX.

BUT WHEN YOU WORK WITH SOMEONE LIKE THE PERFORMER CHRISTEENE, WHAT IS YOUR GOAL? TO PUSH THE LIMITS OF WHAT IS ACCEPTABLE? TO OFFER AN ALTERNATIVE VISION OF BEAUTY?

TO ME, CHRISTEENE EMBODIES THE JOY OF ABANDONING CONVENTION AND HYPOCRISY, THE JOY OF LETTING THE ‘ID’ AND YOUR PRIMAL INSTINCTS SPEAK, WHICH ARE VERY INNOCENT AND CHARMING. THERE IS A CHILDLIKE INNOCENCE IN HER PROVOCATION. THE WORLD IS STILL VERY CONSERVATIVE. CLAIMING TO BE SHOCKED BY CHRISTEENE, IN TODAY’S DAY AND AGE, IS FAKE AND DISHONEST. BECAUSE ALL CHRISTEENE DOES IS REPEAT THEMES AND MOTIFS THAT ALREADY EXIST. SHE IS PURE THEATER, A MIX OF COMMEDIA DELL’ARTE, BUSBY BERKELEY’S MUSICAL COMEDIES, GRAND GUIGNOL… THOSE ARE THE KINDS OF CREATIONS I SUPPORT BECAUSE THEY BRING BALANCE TO OUR WORLD. CHRISTEENE’S PERFORMANCES BALANCE OUT PRUDISHNESS, FALSE CONVENTIONS. THAT’S THE ROLE I WANT TO PLAY. I WANT TO BE SOMEONE WHO BRINGS THIS POSITIVE ENERGY, IN MY OWN VERY SMALL WAY. I LIKE PROMOTING THE VALUES I BELIEVE IN AND THAT PEOPLE ASSOCIATE ME WITH THOSE VALUES.

DO YOU FEEL WE’RE GOING THROUGH A MORE CONSERVATIVE PHASE RIGHT NOW? TAKING INTO ACCOUNT THE INFLUENCE OF SOCIAL MEDIA, WHICH CAN LAUNCH GLOBAL CONTROVERSIES FROM ONE SECOND TO THE NEXT.

I’M STILL SHOCKED TODAY BY THE WAY PEOPLE ANONYMOUSLY RAGE ON THE INTERNET. AND BY HOW QUICKLY DIFFERENCES IN POINTS OF VIEW BECOME VIOLENT CONFLICTS. I AM ASTOUNDED BY HOW READY PEOPLE ARE TO STONE THEIR NEIGHBOR. WHEREAS… WHAT’S THAT PHRASE IN THE BIBLE? ‘MAY HE WHO HAS NEVER SINNED THROW THE FIRST STONE.’ BUT OF COURSE, EVERYONE HAS ALREADY SINNED. ACTUALLY, I THINK THAT PLEASURE OF ANONYMOUSLY ATTACKING OTHERS CREATES FEAR, WHICH LEADS TO THE CURRENT CONSERVATISM.

AND WHAT WAS YOUR INTENTION WHEN YOU PRESENTED YOUR FASHION SHOW OF STEP DANCERS A FEW YEARS AGO? WAS THAT A TRIBUTE?