Rick Owens
Encyclopedia
Rick Owens is an American
fashion designer hailing from California
, celebrated for his avant garde and subversive eye.
He is married to Michele Lamy.
Since 2003, Rick Owens has lived in Paris
.
, Owens studied fine arts at Otis/Parsons (now known as 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. In 2001, he signed with Italian sales agent Eo Bocci Associati for worldwide distribution, and his production moved to Italy.
He began to receive attention when an image of Kate Moss
shot by Corinne Day
appeared in Vogue Paris
, featuring one of Owens' fitted distressed leather jackets. He showed his first runway collection in September 2002 during New York Fashion Week
. The show was sponsored by American Vogue
and Anna Wintour
, who also featured him and his muse Kembra Pfahler
in a spread shot by Annie Leibovitz
. At this time, he accepted the post of artistic director at Revillon, the French fur maison founded in 1723. Working and producing in Europe led him to his decision to 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. He marked the anniversary of his 10th season in 2009 with a launch of a retrospective limited edition book named ‘L’ai - Je Bien Descendu?,’ which included a number of provocative photographs. A monograph published by Rizzoli will follow in 2011.
In 2002 he 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. His look has been described as "glamour-meets-grunge", but Owens himself says "I try to make clothes the way Lou Reed
does music, direct, with minimal chord changes, and sweet but kind of creepy. It's about giving everything I make a worn, softened feeling. It's about an elegance tinged with a bit of the barbaric, the sloppiness of something dragging and the luxury of not caring. At Revillon, I felt it isn't about display but rather giving the woman a selfish pleasure. It is about using sable as the lining under a very humble jacket, the luxury is all hers." Courtney Love
, Bill Kaulitz
from Tokio Hotel
, Madonna
and Zaha Hadid are among the celebrities who have been seen wearing his clothes, and Patricia Field
used some of his pieces to create a fashion-forward look for Emily Blunt
's character in the 2006
film The Devil Wears Prada
. The opening of his first shop in the Palais Royal
, in Paris, also debuted his furniture
range as well as his various clothing lines from the younger and more affordable RickOwensLilies and the denim range named DRKSHDW, to the very exclusive fur collection Palais Royal. Since then, stores have opened in New York, London, Tokyo, Seoul and Hong Kong.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
fashion designer hailing from California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, celebrated for his avant garde and subversive eye.
He is married to Michele Lamy.
Since 2003, Rick Owens has lived in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
.
Biography
Born and raised in Porterville, CaliforniaPorterville, California
Porterville is a city in the San Joaquin Valley, in Tulare County, California, United States. Porterville's population was 54,165 at the 2010 census. The city's population grew dramatically as the city annexed many properties and unincorporated areas in and around Porterville. Not included in the...
, Owens studied fine arts at Otis/Parsons (now known as Otis College of Art and Design
Otis College of Art and Design
Otis College of Art and Design is an art and design college in Los Angeles, California.The school's programs, accredited by WASC and National Association of Schools of Art and Design, include four-year BFA degrees in illustration, fine arts, graphic design, architecture, landscape design, interior...
) in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
for two years before dropping out and taking pattern
Pattern
A pattern, from the French patron, is a type of theme of recurring events or objects, sometimes referred to as elements of a set of objects.These elements repeat in a predictable manner...
-making and draping courses at Los Angeles Trade-Technical College
Los Angeles Trade-Technical College
Los Angeles Trade-Technical College is a public community college in Los Angeles, California. It offers academic courses towards 4-year colleges and numerous vocational training programs including associate degree and certificate programs in Fashion Design, Fashion Merchandising, Culinary Arts,...
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. In 2001, he signed with Italian sales agent Eo Bocci Associati for worldwide distribution, and his production moved to Italy.
He began to receive attention when an image of Kate Moss
Kate Moss
Kate Moss is an English model. Moss is known for her waifish figure and popularising the heroin chic look in the 1990s. She is also known for her controversial private life, high profile relationships, party lifestyle, and drug use. Moss changed the look of modelling and started a global debate on...
shot by Corinne Day
Corinne Day
Corinne Day , was a British fashion photographer, documentary photographer, and former fashion model....
appeared in Vogue Paris
Vogue Paris
The French edition of Vogue magazine, Vogue Paris, is a fashion magazine that has been published since 1920.-1920–1954:The French edition of Vogue was first issued on June 15, 1920. More information about French Vogue in the 1920s is available in Mary E. Davis's book Classic Chic: Music, Fashion,...
, featuring one of Owens' fitted distressed leather jackets. He showed his first runway collection in September 2002 during New York Fashion Week
New York Fashion Week
The semi-annual New York Fashion Week, branded Mercedes-Benz FashionWeek in 2009, is held in February and September of each year in New York City. It is one of four major fashion weeks held around the world .-History:The first New York Fashion Week, then called Press Week, was the world's first...
. The show was sponsored by American Vogue
Vogue (magazine)
Vogue is a fashion and lifestyle magazine that is published monthly in 18 national and one regional edition by Condé Nast.-History:In 1892 Arthur Turnure founded Vogue as a weekly publication in the United States. When he died in 1909, Condé Montrose Nast picked up the magazine and slowly began...
and Anna Wintour
Anna Wintour
Anna Wintour, OBE is the British-born editor-in-chief of American Vogue, a position she has held since 1988. With her trademark pageboy bob haircut and sunglasses, Wintour has become an institution throughout the fashion world, widely praised for her eye for fashion trends and her support for...
, who also featured him and his muse Kembra Pfahler
Kembra Pfahler
Kembra Pfahler is an American performance artist, rock musician and actress. As a performance artist she has been recognized on every "Top 10 List" published during the past quarter century. Her graphic depictions of the horror, repetition, degradation, and have been recognized as insightfully...
in a spread shot by Annie Leibovitz
Annie Leibovitz
Anna-Lou "Annie" Leibovitz is an American portrait photographer.-Early life and education:Born in Waterbury, Connecticut, Leibovitz is the third of six children. She is a third-generation American whose great-grandparents were Jewish immigrants, from Central and Eastern Europe. Her father's...
. At this time, he accepted the post of artistic director at Revillon, the French fur maison founded in 1723. Working and producing in Europe led him to his decision to 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. He marked the anniversary of his 10th season in 2009 with a launch of a retrospective limited edition book named ‘L’ai - Je Bien Descendu?,’ which included a number of provocative photographs. A monograph published by Rizzoli will follow in 2011.
In 2002 he won the Council of Fashion Designers of America Perry Ellis Emerging Talent Award
Council of Fashion Designers of America
The Council of Fashion Designers of America, Inc. is a not-for-profit trade association of over 350 of America’s foremost fashion and accessory designers. As of 2009, Diane von Fürstenberg is the group's President and Steven Kolb is the Executive Director...
. In 2007 he was awarded a Cooper-Hewitt National Design Award and the Fashion Group International's Rule Breaking award. His look has been described as "glamour-meets-grunge", but Owens himself says "I try to make clothes the way Lou Reed
Lou Reed
Lewis Allan "Lou" Reed is an American rock musician, songwriter, and photographer. He is best known as guitarist, vocalist, and principal songwriter of The Velvet Underground, and for his successful solo career, which has spanned several decades...
does music, direct, with minimal chord changes, and sweet but kind of creepy. It's about giving everything I make a worn, softened feeling. It's about an elegance tinged with a bit of the barbaric, the sloppiness of something dragging and the luxury of not caring. At Revillon, I felt it isn't about display but rather giving the woman a selfish pleasure. It is about using sable as the lining under a very humble jacket, the luxury is all hers." Courtney Love
Courtney Love
Courtney Michelle Love is an American rock musician. Love is the lead vocalist, lyricist, and rhythm guitarist for alternative rock band Hole, which she formed in 1989, and is an actress who has moved from bit parts in Alex Cox films to significant and acclaimed roles in The People vs...
, Bill Kaulitz
Bill Kaulitz
Bill Kaulitz is a German singer, songwriter, voice actor, designer and model. He is best known for his work from 2001 to the present as the lead singer of the band Tokio Hotel....
from Tokio Hotel
Tokio Hotel
Tokio Hotel is a pop rock band from Germany, founded in 2001 by singer Bill Kaulitz, guitarist Tom Kaulitz, drummer Gustav Schäfer and bassist Georg Listing...
, Madonna
Madonna (entertainer)
Madonna is an American singer-songwriter, actress and entrepreneur. Born in Bay City, Michigan, she moved to New York City in 1977 to pursue a career in modern dance. After performing in the music groups Breakfast Club and Emmy, she released her debut album in 1983...
and Zaha Hadid are among the celebrities who have been seen wearing his clothes, and Patricia Field
Patricia Field
Patricia Field is an American costume designer, stylist and fashion designer.-Life and career:Field was born in 1941 in New York City to Greek and Armenian parents, who emigrated from Lesvos, Greece. She was raised in Astoria, Queens and has claimed credit for inventing the modern legging for...
used some of his pieces to create a fashion-forward look for Emily Blunt
Emily Blunt
Emily Olivia Leah Blunt is an English actress best known for her roles in The Devil Wears Prada , The Young Victoria , and The Adjustment Bureau . She has been nominated for two Golden Globe Awards, two London Film Critics' Circle Awards, and one BAFTA Award...
's character in the 2006
2006 in film
- Highest-grossing films :Please note that following the tradition of the English-language film industry, these are the top-grossing films that were first released in the United States in 2006...
film The Devil Wears Prada
The Devil Wears Prada (film)
The Devil Wears Prada is a 2006 comedy-drama film, a loose screen adaptation of Lauren Weisberger's 2003 novel of the same name. It stars Anne Hathaway as Andrea Sachs, a recent college graduate who goes to New York City and gets a job as a co-assistant to powerful and demanding fashion magazine...
. The opening of his first shop in the Palais Royal
Palais Royal
The Palais-Royal, originally called the Palais-Cardinal, is a palace and an associated garden located in the 1st arrondissement of Paris...
, in Paris, also debuted his furniture
Furniture
Furniture is the mass noun for the movable objects intended to support various human activities such as seating and sleeping in beds, to hold objects at a convenient height for work using horizontal surfaces above the ground, or to store things...
range as well as his various clothing lines from the younger and more affordable RickOwensLilies and the denim range named DRKSHDW, to the very exclusive fur collection Palais Royal. Since then, stores have opened in New York, London, Tokyo, Seoul and Hong Kong.