Rick Owens-- A Trick

Rick Owens often does something extraordinary, but as a fashion designer, he has done better in his work.

At the age of 37, he set up a personal brand. In more than 10 years, he opened 5 independent stores around the world. He was known as "the most plagiarism designer", and also a few American designers who succeeded in Paris.

However, he still can not speak French so far.

Speaking of Paris, he said, "I like the feeling of living in a foreign country. It reminds me of the sense of isolation in adolescence."

Bona fide jokes

Long hair, shoulder length, dark complexion, strong body, tight T-shirt can not hide the developed biceps brachii muscle -- Rick Owens from California, USA, is like a copy of rock singer Iggy Pop.

Fashion fans put a series of labels on him: muscle, male, bisexual, Gothic designer, pervert...

Owens's rebellious image has caused many misunderstandings for him, but in fact, he has not done less bad things.

In 2002, i-D magazine published a self portrait of Owens: in the picture, he was naked and urinating himself in another nude photograph.

In 2006, Pitti Imagine of Florence fashion week invited Owens to design a piece of installation work. As a result, he gave the organizing committee a simulation wax figure without a coat and pee at a mirror.

In fact, the wax figure was prepared for Owens's residence in Paris, but he wanted Pitti Imagine to pay for herself.

"That thing needs 20 thousand euro!"

He said naughty, "pee is the theme I love to use."

"What I am trying to show is the side of my love affair, but my intention is good. I am not as radical as some people think."

In the mail interview of the Bund pictorial, Owens defended himself. "People feel that I am serious about doing those things, and I do not know that I am just playing tricks."

The fashion design of Owens is just as amazing as his own.

About five years ago, at that time, the world was still immersed in the joyous atmosphere of 1960s. Owens launched the dark style that made him famous, soft washed leather, broken lining, radiant and beautiful coat, and various black and dark ash everywhere.

If three words are used to describe his press conference, it is "outer space", "Gothic" and "horror movie".

The tall bun of the model is like two antennas. The long skirt covers the shoes, giving the ghost the illusion of floating.

However, if you think such clothes represent only a small group of people, you are wrong, because the 49 year old Owens has become one of the most influential international designers in the world today.

The New York Times called him "perhaps the most popular designer in the fashion world".

Owens those signature design elements, such as winding zippers, cobweb T-shirts and motorcycle skins, such as second layers of skin, have become popular in the past few years, appearing in countless other brands, ranging from Alexander Wang to Rag&Bone, from Topshop to American Apparel.

His influence extends directly from the extension platform to the high street, and further inspires Asian designers such as Damir Doma and Julius.

In this connection, Sarah Rutson, the fashion director of Lac Carver, has a deep understanding: "in 2007, when we first opened a shop in Beijing, we introduced the Rick series.

I thought we had to go through a long period of enlightenment. After all, Chinese consumers remained at the stage of concern only.

However, what I didn't realize was that before we made any effort, Rick's clothes were sold out.

As of this year, Owens has 5 independent stores worldwide, with annual sales of 30 million euros.

For a designer who did not set up a personal brand until he was 37 years old, this is no small achievement.

How did he do that?

From barge to door-to-door promotion

The story of Rick Owens began in a small town called Porterville in California.

His father is a social worker, while his mother is a teacher.

After graduating from high school, he went to live in Losangeles and studied art at Otis College of art and design, but soon dropped out of school.

"I was frightened by the academic atmosphere of the art world. I thought I was too stupid to do art, but I could make fashion."

Owens recalls, "my father wanted me to have a skill, so I signed up for a course in Losangeles trade and Technology University and became a printer."

In fact, as early as the Catholic high school, Owens had a strong interest in fashion.

The Thierry Mugler ads in the French version of Vogue fascinated him, and early inspiration brought him opera.

"I grew up listening to Wagner's" ring of the ring ".

He said.

In the first few years of his career, Owens worked in a garment company in Losangeles.

The experience of dismantling, copying and copying large brands of clothing has enabled Owens to master the tailoring skills of people.

Owens's notorious nightlife experience also came from that time. He not only used drugs and alcohol, but also frequented pornographic bars and mingled with psexuals.

In his own words, the depravity of those years "tested the limits of my body".

In the early stage of his business, Owens met his current wife, Michele Lamy, who was known for his strange clothes. She was the boss of Les Deux Caf, Losangeles popular restaurant.

At the age of 37, Owens finally set up a small studio on Hollywood Avenue with two employees.

How to carry out the initial brand promotion?

The way of Owens is not to advertise, or to contact the fashion media two, but to bring the work to the retailer in person.

It's no exaggeration to use "door-to-door selling," he said.

Soon, Losangeles's Maxfield fashion store, Boston's Louis Boston and New York's Linda Dresner can all see Owens products.

His low-key punk fashion has successfully won the love of underground rock lovers, and Courtney Love is one of them.

Jewelry designer Loree Rodkin still remembers Owens's first series: "that's the most fashionable series I've ever seen, which is made of garments, but it looks like a sophisticated custom texture.

I bought 10 things, T-Shirts, fur coats and fish tail skirts.

I still keep those clothes up to today. "

Fashion writer Lee Carter first saw Owens in 1996 at Mercer hotel in New York.

Just during fashion week, Owens was editing and buying alternative magazines in his hotel guestroom.

"He introduces us to the details of every dress coolly, and I know he will be popular sooner or later."

Carter later wrote.

That's true.

In 2002, it was the breakthrough year of Owens career. The American version of Vogue sponsored his first conference. After that, he won the award of "Perry Ellis design rookie" of the American Fashion Designers Association.

When people thought that a New York fashion star was born, Owens made a decision to go to Paris.

He received a contract from Revillon, an old leather clothing house in France, and Lamy had long been tired of restaurant management.

It seems that crossing the Atlantic is unavoidable, but no one has ever thought that this is going to be ten years.

Americans in Paris

Is it not every fashion designer's dream to show up in Paris?

A year ago, new Yorker Zac Posen traveled to Paris fashion week to pursue his French dream. But after two not successful meetings, Posen announced this season to return home.

History has long proved that Paris is no paradise for young people who dream of their dreams. Owens did not leave Paris ten years ago.

Although the cooperation with Revillon lasted only three years, Owens took a firm foothold in Paris.

Today, he holds a press conference in the two quarter of each year in Palais de Tokyo, located in the 16 district.

According to him, part of the reason for choosing the Tokyo palace is because "I can walk directly from my home."

The residence and studio of Owens and Lamy is located in the heart of downtown Paris. It is made up of two connected five storey buildings. It was originally the headquarters of the French Socialist Party. Mitterrand also worked here.

In the mail, Owens describes his daily life: "my bedroom is on the five floor of my house, so I go downstairs every day, finish the mail on the terrace, and then go to the office on the two floor for a meeting.

After the meeting, I will go through the Dursley palace to the gym in the opera square and do some exercises, then go home for lunch, take a nap, and then start working until dinner around 10 p.m.

Although there was a crazy young age, 50 of Owens declared that he was living a "monastic life" at this stage.

"Gym, home and restaurant are my Golden Triangle."

He said, "my life is very regular, and we seldom go out at night."

Eight years is enough to make him a real Parisian, but Owens can not speak French at present, nor does he dress in Paris. What's more, have you ever seen a Frenchman who enjoys fitness?

"I like the feeling of living in a foreign country. It reminds me of the sense of isolation in adolescence."

Owens frankly speaking.

Every month, Owens will go to Italy's factory for a week.

Since 2001, he has worked with the same factory, and the factory has only served the brand Rick Owens.

He designs 6 series every year: Men's wear, women's wear, Lilies (this is a lower price sub line), cowboy, fur and furniture.

"Sometimes I think, if you don't have to be small enough to connect every button, will it be fine?

But I still feel that my brand is better than myself.

Compared to five years ago, although Owens's design continued to have similar outlines and palette, the mood of clothing was no longer angry, and the theme of the series was more approachable than expected.

Take the 2008 autumn and winter series as an example, Owens's inspiration is mainly the 1970s band KISS member Gene Simmons.

What impressed him most was Simmons's performance in "The Mike Douglas Show".

"He was wearing a stage costume made by himself, a cloak with an exaggerated collar and wings on his back.

I applied the outline of that dress to this series.

In the fashion world of Owens, vampires and nuns are also dressed in uniform.

Whether or not you like Owens's design, his success really stimulated the prosperity of a fashion category whether you call it Gothic or something else.

The most affected by Owens are the avant-garde designers, such as the American brand Ohne Titel double group Alexa Adams and Flora Gill, London Gareth Pugh, Haider Ackermann of Paris, etc.

As the initiator of all this, Owens did not care about plagiarism and plagiarism.

As usual, he said in an interview humbly: "there are things when it appears in the air, everyone can feel it, it does not belong to anyone."