Excerpt: "RICK OWENS THE EARLY YEARS 1994-2002: FROM HOLLYWOOD BOULEVARD TO NEW YORK FASHION WEEK." (A.Glass 2020)
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"Rick Owens first runway show was staged at New York Fashion Week in 2002 of his self titled gothic inspired “glundge” styles, it was a sponsored show by Vogue magazine in celebrating Owens as an emerging designer from Los Angeles and his distinct take on 1990s grunge fashion, infused with Owens fascination of 1970s epicurean glamour. He was 41 at the time. To look at this retrospection of the famed avant-garde designer, is also an attempt, despite what might appear to be an unintended ambiguity, which maybe a conscious or an unconscious history of disarray. It is Owens trade mark styles, with his accentuation and unique ability to overlay fits imto a dark ensemble, which in turn cleverly portrays his crafted and exclusive reduction of styles; from asymmetrical cuts to skin tight looks, the aesthetics on display reflects the single minded dedication that Owens has in formulating his collections. Owens Fall 2002 Ready-To-Wear debut offers a slight historic glimpse into the Rick Owens continuum, a show that was solely directed towards his faithful buyers, loyal fan base and more importantly the niche avant-garde clothing market. To which Owens had, over the years, cleverly moulded in building up his brand to become a formidable template in light of his first RTW collection. This was no overnight sensation, nor a star pupil of a renown fashion school breaking into the industry. Owens had been working tirelessly since 1994, eight years prior to the 2002 showing, on his namesake label and here lies the manifestation of a tale filled with an intriguing narrative that is Owens first arrival onto the L.A. fashion scene – all set within his carefully timed and orchestrated plays, that you would expect from the shrewd designer. From his initial beginnings, Owens has been able to maintain an uncompromising integrity of his signature label, which stands today as one of the last of the bigger independent fashion brands.
After finishing school in the mid 1980s, Owens went on to study at the Otis College of Art and Design in Los Angeles, after a brief stint of just two years, he dropped out. He then went on to study at the L.A. Trade Technical College as a pattern cutter, to which he completed his studies in the early 90's. In an attempt at trying to find suitable employment and aware of the 'knockoffs' of designer leather goods, Owens was able to work with 'Korean' (based in L.A.) imitation luxury retailers, cutting patterns for the fake designer products from the iconic fashion houses of Europe. There is an irony in all of this, more so the fact that Owens's start was specifically centered around his L.A. street artfulness, in this unorthodox entry into the fashion world, in so many ways reflects his own iconoclastic and at times, ambiguity. Yet, this is Owens as a self created icon, with roots firmly set within the 1990s of Los Angeles. In a pre-digital interconnected world, were entrepreneurialism was seen as a given, for the many who had hopes and dreams of becoming the next big thing, for Owens the 90's resonated a possibility of configuring his take on gothic/grunge and glamour envisioned styles, turning them into a viable product. 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..."
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Full article: https://chiasmusmagazine.blogspot.com/2022/03/rick-owens-early-years-1994-2002-from.html
RICK OWENS : The early years 1994-2002: From Hollywood Boulevard to New York Fashion Week. Article first appeared in OVERDUE blog magazine 2020
(Adrian Glass 2020)
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