VOGUE HOMMES — RADICALLY YOURS — SPRING/SUMMER 2018 — BY NELLY KAPRIÈLIAN

MAY 2018

HIS CONSISTENT RUN HAS LASTED TWENTY-FOUR YEARS. RICK OWENS HAS NEVER COMPROMISED ON HIS UNIQUE STYLE, NOR HAD ANY DOUBTS. WE WONDERED WHAT LAY BEHIND SUCH LOYALTY TO SELF. A MEETING WITH A MAN AT PEACE.

EVER SINCE HIS 1994 LOS ANGELES DEBUT, RICK OWENS HAS CONSISTENTLY ASSERTED HIS ATTACHMENT TO HIS OWN VISION OF FASHION AND OF LIFE ITSELF, TO HIS PERSONAL AESTHETIC, AND TO WHAT CONSTITUTES IT, DEEP DOWN. YOU’D BE HARD PUT TO FIND A DESIGNER WHO HAS PLOUGHED SUCH A CONSISTENT, SUBSTANTIAL FURROW IN HIS WORK, AND WHO HAS MANAGED TO REMAIN AT THE CUSP OF CONTEMPORANEITY FOR OVER TWO DECADES WITHOUT EVER COMPROMISING. OWENS IS A FREE SPIRIT WHO IS GENEROUS ENOUGH TO WANT TO PASS THAT FREEDOM ON TO US, TO INSPIRE US TO CLAIM OUR INDIVIDUALITY AND FREE US FROM THE MOST CONFORMIST CONVENTIONS SO OFTEN PROJECTED BY FASHION. WITH ‘DIRT’, HIS SIS 2018 COLLECTION, HIS TOPS ARE DECORATED WITH LACQUERED COTTON DRAPING INSPIRED BY THE PAINTING OF ARTIST STEVEN PARRINO THAT ADORNS THE WALLS OF HIS HOME, WITH POCKETS SUFFICIENTLY CAPACIOUS TO CARRY WHAT YOU NEED TO SURVIVE IN HOSTILE TERRITORY, NOT FORGETTING A TOUCH OF GLAM, AS IN THE BOTTOMS OF HIS HIGH-WAISTED TROUSERS, SWEEPING THE FLOOR LIKE THE TRAINS OF ART DECO EVENING GOWNS. WHEN WE MET HIM IN HIS REDOUBT IN THE SEVENTH ARRONDISSMENT IN PARIS, OR MORE PRECISELY ON THE FIRST FLOOR, IN THE VAST, GENTLY BRUTALIST MINIMALIST SPACE HE USES AS HIS STUDIO, RICK OWENS IS WEARING HIS SIGNATURE UNIFORM OF A SCOOP-NECK T-SHIRT, BAGGY BERMUDA SHORTS, AND BLACK HI-TOP TRAINERS. IT’S HIS STYLE POLICY TO SHOW THE WORLD THE RELAXED PLACIDITY OF SOME­ONE WHO’S HAPPY IN HIS SKIN, ALWAYS WARM, FUNNY, AND INCISIVE, WITH THAT UNFLAPPABLE KINDNESS THAT SEEKS TO GIVE OTHERS THE MEANS TO BE THEMSELVES.

VOGUE HOMMES YOUR CLOTHES AND YOUR CATWALK SHOWS READ LIKE A MANIFESTO FOR MORE INDIVIDUALITY AND FREEDOM. DON’T YOU FIND THAT OUR SOCIETY IS STILL HIGHLY CONFORMIST WHEN IT COMES TO PERSONAL STYLE AND APPEARANCE?

RICK OWENS I THINK THAT SOCIETY IS STILL VERY CONFORMIST ON A LOT OF OTHER REGISTERS, NOT JUST THE WAY WE DRESS OURSELVES. IN AMERICA, JUST LOOK AT THE POLICIES TOWARDS TRANS PEOPLE, AT THE WAY MEN ABUSE THEIR POWER. AND THEN WE HAVE TRUMP FOR A PRESIDENT. I THINK A LOT ABOUT THAT RIGHT NOW. ‘DIRT’, MY S/S 18 MEN’S COLLECTION, WAS DRIVEN BY ANGER. I WAS HORRIFIED BY THE FACT THAT CYCLES OF CONFORMISM, OPPRESSION, AND CONSERVATISM KEEP COMING BACK. AFTER EVERYTHING WE’VE BEEN THROUGH, HISTORICALLY, AND AFTER ALL THAT RATIONAL DEBATE ABOUT WHAT FREEDOM MEANS, HERE WE ARE, BACK IN AN ALARMING SOCIETAL SITUATION. HERE’S A SIMPLE EXAMPLE: I WAS VERY DISAPPOINTED TO SEE HOW RAPIDLY PEOPLE’S COMMENTS ON THE INTERNET BECAME VERY AGGRESSIVE AND MALICIOUS, THANKS TO THE ANONYMITY YOU ENJOY WITH THE WEB. IS IT BECAUSE, ON THE NET, YOU CAN SEE THAT SOME PEOPLE HAVE THE BEST OF EVERYTHING, AND THAT EVERYONE TODAY FEELS ENTITLED TO DEMAND THE SAME THING? YET OUR TIMES ARE FANTASTIC! THE INTERNET DELIVERS SO MUCH INFORMATION! WE’VE NEVER HAD SO MANY OPPORTUNITIES FOR LEARNING AS WE HAVE TODAY — AND LEARNING IS THE BEST THING GOING, BECAUSE IT GIVES YOU POWER. THEN AGAIN, AIDS IS UNDER CONTROL, WE DON’T HAVE THE CRUSADES, TUBERCULOSIS, SYPHILIS, OR ANY OF THOSE THINGS THAT KILLED PEOPLE BACK IN THE DAY. YET PEOPLE ARE FRUSTRATED AND BECOME FULL OF HATE. THEIR INSTINCTS ARE VERY CRUDE.

VOGUE HOMMES HAVE YOU NEVER HAD THAT KIND OF IMPULSE YOURSELF?

RICK OWENS MY RESPONSE TO ALL THAT WAS ANGER, WHICH IS NO BETTER. I’M SOMEONE WHO WORKED HARD TO CHANGE HIMSELF, TO BECOME A BETTER PERSON AND, DESPITE THAT, I STILL FIND IT HARD TO CONTAIN MY ANGER, SO HOW COULD I JUDGE OTHER PEOPLE’S? AND YET I DO JUDGE THEM, EVEN THOUGH I HATE JUDGMENTAL PEOPLE: I JUDGE THE OTHERS WHO JUDGE, AND THEN I JUDGE MYSELF JUDGING THE OTHERS BECAUSE THEY JUDGE. THERE’S NO END TO IT AND IT DEPRESSES ME. BUT I CAME TO REALIZE THAT THOSE CRUDE ATTITUDES ARE PART OF LIFE AND OF ME, AND I HAVEN’T MANAGED, DESPITE ALL MY EFFORTS, TO GET RID OF THEM. I’M EASILY IRRITABLE, I LOSE PATIENCE, I THINK THAT MY OPINION IS BETTER THAN OTHER PEOPLE’S. RECENTLY I WENT THROUGH A PERIOD OF EXISTENTIAL UPHEAVAL.

VOGUE HOMMES DO YOU GET UPSET BY OTHER PEOPLE’S JUDGEMENT?

RICK OWENS NO, I’M VERY AGGRESSIVE. EVERYTHING I DO HINGES REALLY ON THE FACT OF QUESTIONING THE RULES: WHY DO A WOMAN’S BREASTS HAVE TO BE PUSHED UP AND HER WAIST EMPHASIZED? WHY DO WE HAVE TO CONFORM TO THESE FEMININE STEREOTYPES WHEN THERE ARE OTHER ASPECTS OF BEAUTY? WHY DO WE STILL HAVE TO CONFORM TO THAT NARROW DEFINITION OF WHAT CONSTITUTES ‘PRETTY’? THAT ACTUALLY ENERGIZES ME, BECAUSE IT MAKES ME WANT TO COME UP WITH ALTERNATIVES, TO SHOW THAT THERE ARE OTHER OPTIONS, AND THAT WE AREN’T OBLIGED TO CONFORM TO THOSE STANDARD, INFANTILE RULES. AS FOR CRITICISM, IF THERE IS ANY, I IGNORE IT BECAUSE I DON’T ACCEPT THE AESTHETIC AUTHORITY OF PEOPLE WHO CRITICIZE ME. THAT SOUNDS VERY IMPERIOUS [LAUGHS) BUT THE REASON I AM WHAT I AM IS BECAUSE I CAME IN FOR A LOT OF CRITICISM WHEN I WAS YOUNGER.

VOGUE HOMMES WHEN YOU STARTED OUT AS A DESIGNER?

RICK OWENS WHEN I BECAME A DESIGNER, I ALREADY KNEW WHAT MY AESTHETIC WAS, AND I WAS SURE OF ITS VALUE. I HAVE NEVER DOUBTED MY AESTHETIC. NO, I’M TALKING ABOUT MY CHILDHOOD. WHEN I WAS A CHILD, I WAS THIS FAIRLY EFFEMINATE KID IN SMALL TOWN CALIFORNIA, SO IT WAS PRETTY BRUTAL. I WAS VERY DELICATE AND SENSITIVE, SO I HAD TO LEARN TO TOUGHEN UP. THAT SAID, EVEN IF! WAS SENSITIVE, I STILL ALSO FELT A LOT OF ANGER. AND ANGER TRANSFORMS INTO POWER, IT’S AN EXCELLENT DRIVER. THAT’S THE VIRTUE OF AGGRESSIVENESS. BUT I’M VERY TORN: AGGRESSIVENESS IS SOMETHING I STRONGLY DISAPPROVE OF. I LIKE TO SETTLE THINGS ELEGANTLY, GENTLY. BUT I WOULDN’T BE WHERE I AM NOW WITHOUT THAT VERY PRIMAL ANGER.

VOGUE HOMMES SO, THERE’S A PRICE TO PAY TO BECOME YOURSELF AND REMAIN TRUE TO YOURSELF?

RICK OWENS I DON’T KNOW IF I HAD A PRICE TO PAY. THESE DAYS, I FEEL GOOD. I’VE GOT NOTHING TO HIDE, AND I’VE ALWAYS BEEN TRUE TO MYSELF. I’VE NEVER DONE ANYTHING I DIDN’T BELIEVE IN. I TRY TO INJECT VALUES LIKE NICENESS INTO WHAT I DO. TO USE THE CATWALK SHOWS AS A PLATFORM TO TALK ABOUT POSITIVE VALUES. I’M NOT GOING TO SAY THAT I’M PROUD OF MYSELF: THAT WOULD BE TOO ARROGANT. BUT I FEEL THAT IF I WERE TO DIE TOMORROW, I WOULD HAVE LED AS HONORABLE A LIFE AS POSSIBLE.

VOGUE HOMMES WHAT’S ADMIRABLE IS YOUR COHERENCE AND CONSISTENCY…

RICK OWENS I DON’T KNOW ABOUT ITS BEING ADMIRABLE, BUT I DO WONDER HOW MUCH LONGER IT CAN LAST. WE’VE SEEN DESIGNERS WHO WERE VERY POWERFUL AND RELEVANT AT ONE TIME AND WE’VE SEEN THEM GETTING STUCK IN A RUT AND OVERTAKEN. I’M PETRIFIED BY THE IDEA THAT THIS MIGHT HAPPEN TO ME BECAUSE IT MUST BE VERY PAINFUL. SO, I’M VERY SELF-CRITICAL, VERY HARD ON MYSELF, I’M VERY AWARE THAT I’M STILL LEARNING. BUT EACH NEW GENERATION KICKS BACK AT THE PREVIOUS ONE, AS I DID WITH THE GENERATION BEFORE ME. AND THAT STIMULATES ME AND ATTRACTS ME, TOO.

VOGUE HOMMES DID YOU KNOW WHO YOU WERE WHEN YOU WERE VERY YOUNG?

RICK OWENS NOT AT ALL! WHEN I WAS TWENTY, I WAS JUST THIS ALCOHOLIC JERK, ARROGANT, PEDANTIC, AND AGGRESSIVE. I JUST LEARNED.

VOGUE HOMMES WHAT MADE YOU CHANGE? WAS THERE SOME KIND OF TRIGGER?

RICK OWENS NO. YOU GET OLDER AND YOU LEARN. IT’S LIKE DRIVING, WHEN YOU LEARN TO CHANGE GEARS. AT THE START, YOU DO IT WITH VERY STIFF MOVEMENTS, BUT THE MORE YOU DRIVE, THE SMOOTHER YOUR MOVEMENTS. WHEN I WAS TWENTY, MY AMBITION AND AGGRESSIVENESS WERE BADLY CHANNELED. I HAD TO LEARN TO CHANNEL THEM IN ANOTHER DIRECTION, BECAUSE IT LED TO SOME PRETTY NASTY STUFF. NOT DIABOLICAL, THOUGH — I NEVER KILLED ANYONE!

VOGUE HOMMES YOU DIDN’T GO EASY ON YOURSELF?

RICK OWENS NOR ON ANYONE ELSE! I WAS VERY BITCHY. A REAL JERK! MICHELE [LAMY, HIS WIFE] OFTEN REMINDS ME OF IT. SHE’S GOT A VERY GOOD MEMORY AND NEVER MISSES AN OPPORTUNITY [LAUGHS].

VOGUE HOMMES WAS IT YOUR MEETING WITH MICHELE THAT HELPED YOU TO CHANGE, TO BECOME YOURSELF AND STAY THAT WAY?

RICK OWENS FOR STARTERS, IT WAS MICHELE WHO GOT ME TO THE GYM, AND THAT PROBABLY HELPED ME A LOT. IT WAS A WAY OF CHANNELING MY AGGRESSIVENESS AND IT MADE MY PHYSICALLY MORE AT EASE WITH MYSELF. WHEN YOU FEEL THAT YOU’RE LOOKING BETTER, IT’S VERY MOTIVATING. AND LOOKING AFTER YOURSELF, DOING SOMETHING POSITIVE FOR YOURSELF, IS DEEPLY SATISFYING. AND THEN I STOPPED DRINKING. IT WAS STARTING TO BELIEVE IN KINDNESS THAT MADE ME STOP DRINKING AND BEHAVING LIKE A JERK.

VOGUE HOMMES IN YOUR NEW S/S 18 ‘DIRT’ COLLECTION, THERE’S A LOT OF DRAPING, WHERE MEN CAN CARRY STUFF, CHILDREN. YOUR POCKETS ARE BIG ENOUGH ‘TO FIT A SANDWICH’, AS YOU WROTE. ARE YOU TRYING TO HELP MEN TO SURVIVE?

RICK OWENS IT’S EASY TO INTERPRET MY MENSWEAR COLLECTIONS AS A POST-APOCALYPSE THING, BECAUSE MY SHOWS ARE VERY AGGRESSIVE. BUT WHAT CONCERNS ME MORE IS TO CHANGE THE BODY’S PROPORTIONS BY CREATING EXTENSIONS FOR IT, BY MAKING THE CLOTHES GO WHERE THEY’RE NOT SUPPOSED TO GO. IN SHORT, I WANTED TO DEFORM THE HUMAN BODY. THE BODY’S APPEARANCE AND WHAT MAKES IT ATTRACTIVE IS STILL SO STEREOTYPED TODAY. WHEREAS WE’RE MUCH SEXIER WHEN WE’RE NOT TRYING TO BE SEXY, OR EVEN WHEN WE’RE TRYING TO DO THE OPPOSITE. I THINK THAT IN MY CASE, IT HAS TO DO WITH THE GYM. AFTER I STARTED GOING TO THE GYM, THE MORE MY BODY CHANGED, THE LESS CLOTHES WERE IMPORTANT FOR ME. AND THEN, IF YOU’RE GETTING ENOUGH SEX IN LIFE, WHY DO YOU NEED TO SHOW CERTAIN PARTS OF THE BODY IN CERTAIN WAYS? IN A NUTSHELL, MY FASHIONS HAVE LESS TO DO WITH PROTECTION THAN WITH ATTACK.

VOGUE HOMMES WHICH ATTITUDE SHOULD YOU HAVE TOWARDS THE WORLD: FIGHT OR ADAPT?

RICK OWENS BOTH. THERE ARE NICE WAYS TO FIGHT. AND ADAPTING IS NO BAD THING. POLITENESS, FOR EXAMPLE, IS VERY IMPORTANT. IT’S BETTER THAN AGGRESSIVENESS. THAT’S WHY I STOPPED WEARING BLACK FOR A WHILE IN FAVOR OF THIS TYPE OF GREY THAT I OFTEN PUT IN MY COLLECTIONS, BECAUSE IT’S A CALM, SOFT COLOR. THEN I BEGAN TO BE ATTRACTED BY BLACK AGAIN. PERHAPS BECAUSE I FELT I WAS STRONGER, AND OLDER. THERE’S A CERTAIN SHARPNESS WITH BLACK, SOMETHING IMPECCABLE. TO SEE A PIECE OF PERFECTLY CUT CLOTHING, WHEN THERE ARE SO MANY CHAOTIC OR DIRTY THINGS IN THE WORLD, BRINGS ME A SORT OF RELIEF. A PRIEST IN A FINE BLACK SUIT EXUDES A SENSE OF AUTHORITY, NOBILITY, OF FORMALITY. PEOPLE WHO WEAR A BLACK UNIFORM, SUCH AS JUDGES, NUNS, AND POLICEMEN, ARE OFTEN PEOPLE WHO HAVE PUT THEMSELVES IN THE SERVICE OF OTHERS. SO, I STARTED TO WEAR BLACK AGAIN AND TO BRING IT BACK INTO MY COLLECTIONS TO COMBAT THE CHAOS OF THE WORLD. I DON’T WANT TO DESIGN COLLECTIONS THAT LOOK LIKE THE INSIDE OF A SUPERMARKET OR A SIXTEEN-YEAR-OLD GIRL’S WARDROBE.

VOGUE HOMMES WHY IS THE COLLECTION CALLED ‘DIRT’?

RICK OWENS BECAUSE WE ALL DIRTY OURSELVES. IT’S CHEAP, PRIMITIVE, SIMPLISTIC. IT ALSO SUGGESTS TRASH, AND I’VE ALWAYS LIKED HAVING A BIT OF TRASH IN MY LIFE. I ALSO LIKE THE IDEA OF DEBAUCHERY, BECAUSE THERE’S A CERTAIN HONESTY IN IT. I LIKE ARTIFICE, AND I CELEBRATE IT A LOT, BUT I ALSO LIKE WHAT’S TRUE, WHAT’S REAL, WHEN I SAY ARTIFICE, I’M THINKING OF KABUKI OR IKEBANA. I’M THINKING PATISSERIE, THAT KIND OF EXQUISITE ARTIFICE, BUT BECAUSE I ALSO HAVE A SENSE OF HUMOR, I LIKE IT WHEN THE EXQUISITE AND THE GROTESQUE GO TOGETHER. HAVING A SENSE OF HUMOR IS ONE OF THE MOST ELEGANT THINGS IN THE WORLD. PEOPLE WHO DON’T HAVE A SENSE OF HUMOR REALLY BORE ME. THEY TAKE THEMSELVES TOO SERIOUSLY, WHEREAS PEOPLE WHO DO HAVE A SENSE OF HUMOR ARE GENERALLY ABLE TO MAKE FUN OF THEMSELVES, AND IT’S VERY HEALTHY TO BE ABLE TO LAUGH AT YOURSELF. LAUGHING AT YOURSELF IS ALSO A WAY OF NOT PRETENDING THAT YOU ARE SOMEONE OTHER THAN THE PERSON YOU ARE. AND THAT PUTS OTHER PEOPLE AT EASE, IT’S GENEROUS. LETTING OTHER PEOPLE BE WHO THEY ARE, GIVING THEM THE SPACE TO DO THAT, IS VERY IMPORTANT.

VOGUE HOMMES THERE’S SOMETHING MYSTICAL, RELIGIOUS IN YOUR APPROACH TO EXISTENCE, ISN’T THERE?

RICK OWENS I’M NOT RELIGIOUS, BUT WHEN I WAS A CHILD I WENT TO A CATHOLIC SCHOOL. THE BIBLE AND CATHOLIC TEACHINGS WERE MY FIRST EXAMPLES OF EXOTICISM. THERE’S THIS GROUP OF PEOPLE WEARING DRESSES IN THE DAYTIME, TALKING ABOUT SPIRITUAL THINGS. IT WAS REALLY EXALTING FOR A CHILD MAROONED IN A SMALL TOWN AND WHO ALWAYS WANTED THINGS TO BE ‘MORE’. LATER, I STARTED WATCHING CECIL B. DEMILLE’S BIBLICAL EPICS. HIS FILMS MIGHT MORALIZE AND CONDEMN THE SINNER, BUT AT THE SAME TIME HE SPENT A HUGE AMOUNT OF TIME SHOWING SINNERS SINNING. SO, THEY WERE FANTASTIC TO WATCH! IT’S A BIT LIKE WHAT’S HAPPENING RIGHT NOW: YOU HAVE THE NEW YORK TIMES MORALIZING ABOUT THESE SEXUAL HARASSMENT STORIES WHILE DESCRIBING THEM AT GREAT LENGTH AND IN THE MOST GORY DETAIL. IT’S HORRIFYING TO SEE SUCH A SERIOUS NEWSPAPER BECOMING SO TRASHY. BUT AT THE SAME TIME, I READ ALL THOSE ARTICLES WITHOUT SKIPPING A LINE, BECAUSE I’M JUST THE SAME AS THEM, A MORALIZER WHO LOVES SIN.

VOGUE HOMMES DO YOU ‘SIN’ OFTEN?

RICK OWENS I LOVE SIN. I WANT TO SIN. I HAVE SINNED IN THE PAST AND I LOVED IT. BUT THERE ARE LIMITS. YOU ALSO HAVE TO ASK YOURSELF HOW FAR SIN AFFECTS OTHER PEOPLE.

VOGUE HOMMES ARE WE SEEING A RETURN TO PURITANISM?

RICK OWENS YES, AND IT’S ALL A BIT TOO MUCH FOR ME. THAT SAID, WE NEED TO HAVE LIMITS. THE FACT THAT MY PARENTS WERE STRICT MADE ME STRONGER AND REALISTIC ABOUT THE WAY THE WORLD WORKS. THE WORLD NEEDS CONFLICT TO HAVE SOMETHING TO FIGHT AGAINST. IF MY PARENTS HAD BROUGHT ME UP WITHOUT FEAR OR SHAME, WOULD I HAVE THIS SENSE OF URGENCY AND THIS RAGE TO DO WHAT I WANT’? I DON’T THINK SO. BUT EVEN IF TODAY, THE WAY I LIVE MY LIFE MEANS THAT I HAVE THE FREEDOM NOT TO HAVE ANY LIMITS, I’M VERY DISCIPLINED AND I WANT TO PUSH BACK AS MANY LIMITS AS POSSIBLE THROUGH THE CLOTHES I MAKE. I RESPECT CERTAIN VALUES, BUT NOT CERTAIN OTHERS THAT KILL FREEDOM, SO I DO EVERYTHING IN MY POWER TO COMBAT THEM.

VOGUE HOMMES FACED WITH A CHOICE OF A DECISION TO TAKE, DO YOU RELY ON YOUR INSTINCT OR YOUR REASON?

RICK OWENS I’M NOT REALLY SPONTANEOUS, NOT AT ALL IMPULSIVE. I’M MUCH MORE ANALYTICAL AND CALCULATING THAN INSTINCTIVE. I LIKE TO EXAMINE ALL THE FACTORS INVOLVED IN A SITUATION BEFORE TAKING A DECISION. I LIKE TO THINK OF EVERYTHING BEFORE I DO SOMETHING.

VOGUE HOMMES WHAT DO YOU THINK OF ‘LETTING GO’?

RICK OWENS