Rick Owens

Rick Owens
Rick Owens
Born	(1962-11-18) 18 November 1962 Porterville, California
Nationality	American
Education	Otis/Parsons, Los Angeles Trade Tech, Los Angeles
Occupation	Fashion designer
Awards	Cooper-Hewitt National Design Award, 2007, Fashion Group International Rule Breaker Award, 2007, CFDA Perry Ellis Emerging Talent Award, 2002
Labels	Rick Owens, Palais Royal, DRKSHDW, Rick Owens Lilies

Richard Saturnino Owens (born November 18, 1962), 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 (magazine).

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.###

External links

• Owenscorp
• Rick Owens Official Site
• Voguepedia - Rick Owens
• Voguelist - Rick Owens
• Rick Owens at the Fashion Model Directory