Excerpt: RICK OWENS THE EARLY YEARS 1994-2002: FROM HOLLYWOOD BOULEVARD TO NEW YORK FASHION WEEK.

 

(Images:   Michèle Lamy and Rick Owens circe mid 1990's. Los Angeles. From: silver-league.com)

"...A uniquely Owens Hollywood Boulevard story, that mirrors a romantic surrealism, as a visible participant of the L.A. nightclub scene, to which Owens frequented the city's many underground clubs, where he met the enigmatic and creative entrepreneur Michèle Lamy.

A Hollywood darling for the many celebrities that attended her two cafeterias in L.A. throughout the late 90's, Lamy herself was no native to the glamorous West Coast scene, she was born in Paris in 1944, who left France for America in the 1970s, she quickly became a recognisable figure of the New York City 'Studio 54' years, moving to Los Angeles in late 70's, she began to immerse herself within the art, cinema and fashion industry of L.A., where she met her first husband and business partner Richard Newton, the experimental artist and film-maker. The crucial element in the Rick Owens success story is Lamy's firm imprint she and her first husband had at the time, over the L.A. club and fashion scene. When she created her fashion line Lamy in 1990, she hired Owens, who was introduced to Lamy by Owens's then boyfriend, as her new business partner to assist in designing the collections, to which they became a couple soon after. Lamy subsequently folded her label in the mid nineties to focus on the Le Deux café which was situated on a parking lot behind the famous Hollywood Boulevard, after buying a dilapidated former 'crack house' for $5,000 and setting it down onto the vacant car park. In a true reflection of Lamy's eccentricity, she recreated a French inspired café within its American urban surreality. When Owens began to work on debuting his signature brand in 1994, Lamy quickly became his muse wearing and representing the layered and gothic looks, whilst she continued running the celebrity hot spot. It would be the now defunct avant-garde Charles Gallay boutique on Sunset Boulevard, that was once run by Madeleine and Charles Gallay, known to be exclusive retailers for the Hollywood elite. With the proprietor Charles Gallay buying large selections of Owens designs, being the first to provide financial support, it also showcased this new designer from L.A. to the young rich trend setters..."

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Full article: https://chiasmusmagazine.blogspot.com/2022/03/rick-owens-early-years-1994-2002-from.html

(A.Glass 2020)