Richard Saturnino Owens, known as Rick Owens, is an American fashion designer
from Porterville, California. Early life and career
Owens studied fashion design at Otis College of Art and Design, in Los
Angeles, for two years before dropping out and taking pattern-making and
draping courses at Los Angeles Trade-Technical College, leading to work
in the garment industry doing knock-offs of designer clothing.
His own label, begun in 1994, found a following, selling exclusively to
Charles Gallay, a pioneering Los Angeles retailer who kept Owens in business for
several years. Working and producing in Europe led him
to his move from Los Angeles to Paris and show during the Paris collections.
He also began his longstanding collaboration with stylist Panos
Yiapanis, who has been working with Owens on all his catwalk shows to date.
Owens’ pieces have proved highly collectable since 2005. Owens had only
created a series of bespoke pieces for his bunker-style LA loft, but when he
moved to Paris, he was snapped up by local dealer Philippe Jousse. Eight
years on, now signed to the Carpenters Workshop Gallery, and currently
exhibiting in London, he is demonstrating not only serious intent in
this field but considerable talent. In 2010 Owens presented his 'furniture'
design for the first time. In 2013 'the godfather of brutal chic'
exhibited his 'Prehistoric' collection at Carpenters Workshop Gallery in
London. Owens' design colour palette in this seven piece collection stretches
from white to black, stopping nowhere in between. "The show is entitled
'Prehistoric' – a name that reflects its inspiration, the origins of humanity,
it recalls a mysterious ancient civilisation. Its aura is one of
spiritual ritual, archaic ceremony and supreme power”.
"With "Prehistoric," Owens examines the enduring nature of furniture as opposed
to clothing. Unlike fashion, great product design is not subject to a
rapidly moving, season-based calendar. Rather, it provides an enduring visual
anchor for domestic spaces", - writes Details.
Inspired by his wife and muse Michele Lamy, Owens gives a new meaning to the
idea of functionality through a monumental minimalism embodied into
unique pieces which show the glorious decay of time passing. The apparent
simplicity of each designs hides an inherent complexity arising from the
selection of rare and arduous working materials.
Owens’ furniture speaks a language of juxtapositions. As he makes decisions
about materials and form, he works to achieve a balance between ideas that
originate from opposite ends of the scale. “It’s really about juxtaposition
and contrast. Many of the pieces use everyday material such as plywood, next
to rare and luxurious products like alabaster”, - says Owens. He highlights
that this concept can be applied to society. “It’s like the world around us,
it’s a mix of high and low. If you have too much of one or the other it can be
nauseous, but to appreciate one you need the other. It’s all about balance.”
Owens met Michele Lamy through his then boyfriend, Rick Castro, and he is
married to Michele Lamy. Since 2003, he has been living in Paris.
The Washington Divas, Soul Steppers, and Momentums step teams model his clothes
using 'grit face' expressions. Awards and achievements
In 2002, Owens won the Council of Fashion Designers of America Perry Ellis
Emerging Talent Award. In 2007, he was awarded a Cooper-Hewitt National Design
Award and the Fashion Group International's Rule Breaking award.###
References ^ a b Socha, Miles. "Rick Owens:
Breaking the Rules". WWD. Retrieved 12 November 2013.
^ Rick Owens fashion latimesmagazine.com 2008/09
^ Thompson, Henrietta. "Renaissance man: Rick Owens". The Daily Telegraph.
Retrieved 10 October 2013. ^ Davis, Thomas. "Rick Owens’
Prehistoric Furniture Exhibition". HERO Magazine. Retrieved 2013.
^ Compton, Nick. "Rick Owens' 'Prehistoric' new furniture collection".
Wallpaper. Retrieved 6 September 2013. ^ Thompson, Henrietta. "Renaissance man:
Rick Owens". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 10 October 2013.
^ Linyee, Yuan. "Designer Rick Owens' "Petrified" Furniture Collection Is as
Black and White and Bleak as Ever". Details Magazine. Retrieved 16 October
2013. ^ Musmeci, Cecilia. "Rick Owens –
Prehistoric at Maison & Objet". Le Paradox. Retrieved 21 September 2014.
^ "Rick Owens : Intersections". Fluoro Digital. Retrieved 14 November 2013.
^ Rick Owens: Haunted House Hint Magazine
External links Owenscorp
Rick Owens Official Site Voguepedia - Rick Owens
Voguelist - Rick Owens Rick Owens at the Fashion Model
Directory