Rick Owens: ‘I Seem Unwelcoming, But I’m Not’

Rick Owens knows he has a reputation. It’d be pretty tough to earn the nickname “the dark lord of fashion” without being aware of it. His eponymous label’s signature aesthetic—dark and drapey, punctuated with elements like gargoyle-ish spiked shoulders, towering heels for men and women alike, and shocks of bold color—has earned scores of devoted followers the world over. But, Owens says, “it can seem that the Rick Owens world is just too extreme, or it can seem forbidding. I didn’t want that to happen.” In fact, if you ask him what he wants to foster with his work, he’ll tell you it’s “inclusivity.” A dark lord he may seem, but far kinder and more open than you might expect.

“I just want to be the guy who says, ‘We have other options,'” he explains, referring to the dominant aesthetics of modern fashion. “Which I feel is more expansive and generous.” It’s all about bringing people into the fold, and as part of that project, over the last few years Owens has started collaborating with more mainstream brands like Adidas, Veja, Converse, Birkenstock, and Dr. Martens.

I caught up with the Paris-based designer on Zoom on the occasion of the latest release from the latter, which includes a calf-height 1918 boot as well as a riff on the iconic 8-eyelet 1460 boot finished with Owens’s pentagram-shaped lacing. We chatted about that project, of course, but it quickly turned into a conversation about how Owens sees society, and what he wants to bring to it. Read on for a glimpse into the Rick Owens world, courtesy of the man himself.

On Collaboration

After years of being a very isolated, reclusive designer, I kind of felt like getting out of my little bubble. At worst, these kinds of collaborations can be hype machines, but at best they can actually be something that makes sense. I thought that Doc Martens makes sense for my personal interests and my personal history. Just the word “collaboration” is a positive one that I think that I’m in the mood to endorse now, whereas in the past I might have been threatened by it meaning something else.

And the other part is I do approve of communicating and becoming friends and reaching out. So that has been a way for me to reach out, and also to participate in the world around me a little bit more. It allows me to promote my agenda, but it also allows people in. Whereas before I might have seemed a little bit more remote and austere, I can use it as an invitation.

paris, france june 23 editorial use only for non editorial use please seek approval from fashion house a model walks the runway during the rick owens menswear spring summer 2023 show as part of paris fashion week on june 23, 2022 in paris, france photo by peter whitegetty images

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