FW20 PERFORMA

MEN

CREDITS

CASTING: AM CASTING (CLM)
MAKEUP: KARIM RAHMAN (OPEN TALENT PARIS)
HAIR: DUFFY (STREETERS)
PRODUCTION: LA MODE EN IMAGES
MUSIC: EXCLUSIVE MIX BY MIKEQ OF QWEEN BEAT

NOTES

Z PERFORMA IS A PERFORMANCE ART BIENNIAL CREATED BY ROSELEE GOLDBERG IN 2004 THAT HAS COMMISSIONED AND FEATURED PERFORMANCES BY HUNDREDS OF ARTISTS INCLUDING MARINA ABRAMOVIĆ, MIKE KELLEY, AND RASHID JOHNSON. THE ROMANCE OF JOSEPH BEUYS’ AKTIONS AT DOCUMENTA IN THE SEVENTIES ALWAYS THRILLED ME AND, IN MY HEAD, PERFORMA IS THE EVOLUTION OF THAT.

THIS YEAR, HUN SOMEHOW WOUND UP PERFORMING IN IT AS A MEMBER OF CECILIA BENGOLEA’S DANCE GROUP. SEEING HUN FOLLOW HER INSTINCTS TO PERFORM MADE ME CONSIDER MY OWN; I HAD ALWAYS REGARDED PERSONAL BEHAVIOR, SOCIAL AND MORAL, AS SOMETHING TO QUIETLY BUT DILIGENTLY WORK ON IMPROVING. BUT AT 58, I FIND MYSELF, FOR BETTER OR WORSE, PERFORMING.

THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN BEHAVIOR AND PERFORMANCE IMPLIES FALSENESS AND REHEARSAL IN THE LATTER. BUT MAYBE CONCENTRATION ON BEHAVIOR CAN BE A BIT PASSIVELY DRY? AND PERFORMANCE A JOYOUS CONTRIBUTION? LIKE COMPETITIVE SPORT OR ORCHESTRA CONDUCTING? ( SHOUT-OUT TO CURRENT FAVE, TEODOR CURRENTZIS). OUR INSTAGRAM GENERATION MAKES REFINING BEHAVIOR VS INDULGING IN PERFORMANCE A WEIRD NEW BALANCING ACT… AS A RESULT, THERE IS A HEAVY DOSE OF THEATER IN THIS COLLECTION— SHOULDERS ARE MONSTROUS AND ARMS EXTENDED AND EXTRA SPINDLY. THERE ARE GARISH SNAKESKINS, LEOPARD-PRINTED SATINS AND BLEACHED SEAWOLF PATCHWORK… BUT THESE ARE JUST FLOURISHES DUSTING A COLLECTION THAT IS PREDOMINANTLY MUTED IN GRAY CASHMERES IN MULTIPLE WEIGHTS DRAPED AND WRAPPED GENTLY AROUND THE BODY.

CASHMERE KNITS IN GRAY AND BLUE ARE PEELED UP AND DOWN LEGS, ARMS, AND TORSOS, REVEALING THIN DRAPED T-SHIRTS BENEATH… SOME KNITS ARE TRACED IN LINEAR GRAPHICS SIMILAR TO WHAT KANSAI YAMAMOTO DID FOR BOWIE IN THE SEVENTIES (THIS COLLECTION IS VERY KANSAI/BEUYS…).

THESE ARE WORN UNDER SEAMLESSLY CONSTRUCTED TRANSLUCENT VINYL HOODED COATS… AND DOUBLE FACED CASHMERE ROBES AND MANTLES. TAILORING COMES IN CROPPED FELTED JACKETS WITH A HIGH SHARP SHOULDER OR HULKING BLANKET COATS MIMICKING LE CORBUSIER’S MODULOR MAN.

THERE ARE SWISHY SATIN PYJAMAS OR BIKER LOOKS IN BLACK LEATHER OR BRIGHT BLUE PIRARUCU. SHOES ARE EITHER SWAGGERING PLATFORMS WITH METAL TOE GUARDS AND TRANSPARENT HEELS, OR RUNNERS FROM OUR CONTINUING COLLAB WITH SUSTAINABILITY CHAMPIONS VEJA, IN BRIGHT RUST AND YELLOW THIS SEASON.

MUSIC IS A COMPOSITION BY VOGUING MASTER MIKEQ THAT I HAD COMMISSIONED FOR THE POMPIDOU PERFORMANCE WE DID IN OCTOBER— WANTED TO MAKE SURE WE MILKED IT.

THERE WAS A FRENCH 1930S CABARET PERFORMER NAMED CÉCILE SOREL WHO WOULD MAKE HER ENTRANCE WALKING DOWN A LONG STAIRCASE AND WHEN SHE REACHED THE BOTTOM WOULD ASK THE AUDIENCE “HOW WELL DID I DESCEND?” I USED THIS PHRASE AS THE TITLE TO THE ONLY BOOK I THOUGHT I WOULD EVER WRITE… SINCE THEN I HAVE DONE 4…

WOMEN

CREDITS

CASTING: AM CASTING (CLM)
MAKEUP: KARIM RAHMAN (OPEN TALENT PARIS)
HAIR: DUFFY (STREETERS)
PRODUCTION: LA MODE EN IMAGES
MUSIC: EXCLUSIVE MIX ‘DOWN IN THE PARK’ BY GARY NUMAN

NOTES

HI GARY NUMAN, RICK OWENS HERE CONTACTING YOU WITH GREAT RESPECT.

I’M A FASHION DESIGNER IN PARIS AND HAVE A WOMEN’S RUNWAY SHOW COMING UP FEBRUARY 27. THE CLOTHES HAVE A VAGUELY GRAY BAUHAUS/KLAUS NOMI VIBE AND I SAW THEM WALKING TO YOUR SONG ‘DOWN IN THE PARK’.

IT OCCURRED TO ME YOU MIGHT CONSIDER LENDING A PERSONAL TOUCH — LIKE LETTING ME USE SOME OF THE ORIGINAL TRACKS SO I COULD HAVE A SUPER MINIMAL STRIPPED DOWN VERSION, SIGNALING YOUR PRESENCE AND APPROVAL.

I REALIZE THIS IS SHAMELESSLY CHEEKY AND YOU HAVE MORE CURRENT THINGS TO DO THAT ARE OF MUCH MORE INTEREST TO YOU… I KNOW THAT I MIGHT BE BORED TO REVISIT SOMETHING I HAD CREATED DECADES AGO… BUT LET ME JUST SAY THAT THE MOMENT I WANT TO CELEBRATE IS THAT OF A SMALL TOWN SISSY IN 1979 FINDING STRENGTH IN THE CHILLY DOOMED GLAMOUR YOU CREATED WITH THAT SONG AND I WANT TO RECREATE IT AS A 58-YEAR-OLD MAN AT THE PEAK OF HIS ALL TOO NUMBERED POWERS.

IS THIS SOMETHING YOU MIGHT CONSIDER?

IN DEEP ADMIRATION, RICK

GARY SAID YES.

HIS PERFORMANCES AS AN ALIENATED WITNESS TO A DYSTOPIAN WORLD IN THE 80S WAS ONE OF THE FOUNDATIONS OF MY PERSONAL AESTHETIC — HIS WAS A CLINICAL AND CALCULATED ARTIFICE THAT GAZED DISPASSIONATELY ON THE BANALITY OF A DECAYING WORLD; PERFECT FOR NOW.

THERE IS A HEAVY DOSE OF THEATRICAL ARTIFICE IN THIS COLLECTION — SHOULDERS ARE MONSTROUS AND ARMS EXTENDED AND EXTRA SPINDLY. PILLED KNIT SLEEVES SWALLOW GIANT SHOULDER PADS.

THERE ARE GARISH LEOPARD-PRINTED SATINS, OPALESCENT LEATHERS AND BRIGHT BLUE PIRARUCU… BUT THESE ARE JUST FLOURISHES DUSTING A COLLECTION THAT IS PREDOMINANTLY MUTED IN GRAY CASHMERES IN MULTIPLE WEIGHTS DRAPED AND WRAPPED GENTLY AROUND THE BODY.

CASHMERE KNITS IN GRAY, CHERRY RED, BLACK, OR BRIGHT BLUE ARE PEELED UP AND DOWN LEGS, ARMS, AND TORSOS… SOME KNITS ARE TRACED IN LINEAR GRAPHICS SIMILAR TO WHAT KANSAI YAMAMOTO DID FOR BOWIE IN THE SEVENTIES (THIS COLLECTION IS VERY KANSAI/BEUYS… ). THESE ARE WORN UNDER COATS MADE OF RECYCLED PLASTIC WITH BONDED SEAMS — THIGH HIGH BOOTS HAVE MULTIPLE ZIPPED POCKETS AND COME IN RECYCLED PLASTIC, OPALESCENT LEATHER, OR ACID-HUED SEAWOLF.

TAILORING COMES IN SLIM COATS WITH A HIGH, SHARP SHOULDER, DIAMOND-SILHOUETTED COATS WITH MEGA WIDE SHOULDERS, OR HULKING BLANKET COATS AND BOMBERS MIMICKING LE CORBUSIER’S MODULOR MAN.

LONG SATIN GOWNS PROVIDE SLASHES OF COLOR HELD TOGETHER WITH THE BAREST OF TIES AT THE SIDE. DUVETS MADE IN COLLABORATION WITH MONCLER ARE WORN AS CAPES — THESE WERE PART OF THE INTERIOR OF A CUSTOMIZED BUS I DID WITH THEM TO TAKE HUN AND MYSELF ON A ROAD TRIP THROUGH THE NEVADA DESERT ON A LAND ART TOUR — THE BUS WAS OUR PERSONAL GRAY INSULATED CAPSULE TRAVELING THROUGH AREA 51.