The new collection is defined by raw textures: shredded, scorched fabrics, crumpled leathers, and industrial influences. Each look featured sculptural tailoring, structured shoulders, elongated coats, and futuristic, armor-like silhouettes. The show explored water as a symbol of purification and rebirth. While black dominated, the collection also featured pearl gray, metallic white, and cool brown tones. The presentation coincided with the opening of Owens’ retrospective at the prestigious Palais Galliera—a rare solo exhibition for a living designer.
Rick Owens was born in 1961 in Porterville, California. He began his fashion journey in Los Angeles, studying first at Otis College of Art and Design, then learning the craft of garment construction at L.A. Trade-Tech College. In 1994, he launched his own brand in Hollywood, initially producing small batches of leather jackets. The fashion world took notice when Kate Moss wore one of his jackets in Vogue—a moment that marked Owens’ breakthrough.
In 2003, Owens moved to Paris and co-founded Owenscorp with his wife, Michèle Lamy. More than a muse, Lamy is a creative partner whose striking appearance and philosophical worldview deeply influence Owens’ aesthetic. Their partnership exemplifies how life, love, and art can intertwine into a singular creative force. Together, they are not just spouses, but muses, collaborators, and spiritual counterparts—the two poles of the Owens–Lamy universe.
The Muse’s Kiss
Michèle Lamy is a French artist, performance visionary, and designer who ran her own cultural hub and restaurant in Los Angeles during the 1990s. That’s where she met Rick Owens, who was then making leather jackets in a small workshop. Even then, Lamy was a charismatic, mystical figure—with gold teeth, hand tattoos, kohl-rimmed eyes, and a deep voice, she had an almost mythic presence in L.A.’s art circles. She became Owens’ perfect counterpart: while Rick is quiet, restrained, and structured, Lamy is chaotic, spiritual, and ceremonial. She embodies the sensual and philosophical side of the Owens brand, inspiring the ritualistic, ancient, shamanistic themes that often recur in his collections.
Lamy often leads the brand’s experimental projects, from furniture lines to art collaborations and curated performances. She appears in many DRKSHDW campaigns and produces her own installations under the “Lamyworld” banner. “Michèle is not just my partner. She’s my spirit, my dark conscience, my source of energy.”
Fashion as Ceremony
Owens’ shows are more than fashion—they resemble dance theater or avant-garde rituals. In his 2014 “Vicious” show, for example, a group of African American step dancers presented the collection. Year after year, Owens moves further from traditional runway formats. His style blends gothic, punk, grunge, and futuristic elements. The clothes often evoke a dystopian world but remain timeless—as if worn by survivors from the future. His work continuously explores the boundaries of body and identity. Despite its seemingly niche appeal, Owens’ radical style influences mainstream fashion, challenging norms of masculinity, body image, spirituality, and the beauty of darkness.
He has also maintained his independence—never selling his brand to a conglomerate or conforming to market demands. In today’s luxury fashion industry, that makes him a rarity and, to many, a true artist.
Although his aesthetic appears extreme, Owens’ impact extends well beyond the avant-garde. His collections have redefined masculinity, reshaped body ideals, and made space for darkness as a form of beauty.
His latest show was a summation of his entire philosophy: a dialogue between destruction and rebirth, a probing of the boundaries between material and body, and a fusion of spirituality with brutality. The use of water, the dark palette, and the minimalist, architectural silhouettes turned the runway into something more than a fashion event—it became a ritual.
“My role is to offer an alternative—a different way of being human in the world.”