In keeping with the designer’s retrospective at the Palais Galliera in Paris titled Temple of Love, the time seems right to at last demystify the myth of Rick Owens’ upsurge in fashion. The story has it that the designer’s debut in the higher echelons of fashion was incited by a 2001 Vogue France editorial shot by fashion photographer Corinne Day, starring Kate Moss in one of his leather jackets (which Day herself allegedly was buried in after she passed away). Many a source relies on this so-called fact; however, as is often the case, things rarely happen in a vacuum. And so, this story, too, has a lot more nuance to it for those willing to take a closer look.
Known for his subversive take on gothic grunge, Rick Owens continuously juxtaposes glamour and gloom in an unparalleled manner. Not shying away from challenging the status quo, his alternative narrative of and outlook on luxury ultimately made him one of the pioneers of unapologetic design. A generous radical, you could call him. Radical in his unprecedented approach to fashion, yet catering to all bodies regardless of gender, age, or shape. Both provocative and captivating, Owens’ proposed beauty is almost haunting; his aesthetic perseverance unrivaled. And when it comes to his designs, his preferred singularity goes as far as reinventing shapes and silhouettes altogether. For instance, questioning what a jacket as a concept entails. And in the end, it was his take on a leather jacket that made him stand out and has given him global recognition. A piece now practically homonymous with the brand, embodying its founder’s deep-rooted love for the splendor hidden in decay. Owens’ aim is and has always been to broaden the scope of the narrow aesthetics generally allowed within society, taking it upon himself to balance out what is considered ‘normal’ by providing an alternative. Rick Owens is the designer for those who are seeking something more daring, who don’t see themselves reflected in standard aesthetics. The more general beauty seen in airports and perfume aisles has value in its own right—words courtesy of Owens himself, lying on Bella Freud’s couch in her podcast Fashion Neurosis. To eliminate it is not his aim; what is, however, is to make sure there is at least another option out there. Owens’ outspoken aesthetic vision has proven to stand the test of time, and with it his eponymous label.
Once extremely niche and avant-garde, now a fashion household name. Through the lens of fashion photographer Corinne Day, the world became familiar with Owens. Both famous and infamous for her raw, edgy, anti-fashion images in the 90s, Day must have found a kindred spirit in the designer, as she did with Kate Moss, the model on duty for the snapshot that would highlight Owens’ work. Taking a liking to the model because she saw a resemblance to herself in Moss, Day would frequently photograph her, even if deemed a ‘misfit’ for magazine editorials, being too skinny and short. This was not a standalone instance in which Kate Moss was found in front of Day’s lens; only this time dressed in Rick Owens, which was a first.
With its angular flaps and off-centre zipper, the Château Marmont-born leather jacket that would come to be known as the ‘Stooges’ speaks of a draped, yet structured nonchalance; its washed leather only contributing to the worn-in look, suggesting anyone could wear it. Some say the jacket, distressed and all, was taken straight from Day’s wardrobe—customary for her photographs, to work with what she had at hand. Other sources state it was stylist-on-duty Panos Yiapanis who borrowed it from Owens’ shop in West Hollywood. Sparked by either this instance or another, Yiapanis, being a frequent visitor, would, over time, build a longstanding professional relationship with Owens. Either way, the 2001 French Vogue editorial featured a young Moss wearing Owens’ jacket. An image that would go down in fashion history as the catalyst of the designer’s visibility as an emerging talent, with stores internationally taking note, for one, LA concept store Maxfield (of which, still to this day, Rick Owens is part of the catalogue).
Yet the image itself isn’t as straightforward, but rather an enigma in its visual language, making it only more intriguing that precisely this image would become so pivotal. With Moss and thus the jacket shot in profile, many of the features of the asymmetric design—which ultimately made the ‘Stooges’ so remarkable and stand out— are hidden from view. But in the undeniable aesthetic alignment of Day’s eye and Owens’ designs, something happens that charges the jacket with a vigour telling of the designer’s singularity. In their own right, Day as photographer and Owens as designer, each left a significant mark on fashion. Both became what you could call an ‘embraced niche’: widely recognised, where they were once still frowned upon. And when combined, those two worlds proved simply irrefutable; of an expressiveness that is rare to come by; the poster child of Owens’ international acclaim. Interestingly enough, this particular shoot is not included as part of Day’s online portfolio, despite its scope. In turn, this can raise questions about a potential backstory to the editorial and how it came about; what good reason must there be to refrain from such a milestone for all parties involved?
Ultimately, there’s no denying that Corinne Day’s editorial feature in French Vogue contributed to Owens’ trailblazing career. However, the story of Rick Owens, both brand and persona, should be considered a triptych, Owens being the main body of work, flanked by two side panels. Vogue France on the left, all opened up with Day’s editorial. Yet for the centerpiece to be revealed, there is still a right panel, a second ‘wing’ to the brand’s coming of age left to be uncovered.
Now based in Paris, the brand originated in the United States, more specifically in LA, where the one-of-a-kind designer carved out a path for himself. Launched in 1994, the brand was headquartered in a storefront located just off Hollywood Boulevard. It was Charles Gallay of the eponymous store who would be the first to provide financial support to Owens. As one of LA’s most respectable and relevant retailers—counting the Hollywood elite among his clientele—Gallay’s avant-garde boutique on Sunset Boulevard would become Owens’ exclusive point of sale. With time, as he started to buy curated selections of his designs, Gallay soon realised the exclusivity element was holding both of them back from the success that could be. With clothes that spoke for themselves, Gallay started to approach other stores, such as Henri Bendel in New York. Initially off to a slow start, the profound work put in would prove worthwhile.
One day, the then-creative director of American Vogue, André Leon Talley, passed a Bendel shop window featuring some of the designer’s early work, stopping him in his steps. As fate had it, Owens would be in New York the following month, and so it happened. Accompanied by Dafne Balatsos—who would end up working with Owens for 25 years—he met Vogue’s editor-in-chief Anna Wintour in a hotel room in the city. This encounter would spark momentum, as the designer’s work immediately caught Wintour’s attention, which led to Vogue’s sponsorship of Owens’ debut runway show at New York Fashion Week for Fall/Winter 2002 (originally planned for Spring 2002, the designer cancelled what would be his inaugural bow after the 9/11 terrorist attacks). By then, the label had already been carried by Henri Bendel for the past five years. And even longer so in Los Angeles, where the brand had been selling its quintessential jacket in stores since around 1997. Like many other items from that first collection, the ‘Stooges’ remains an integral part of Owens’ readily available line. As much imbued with the Rick Owens DNA as the collections are today, his debut titled ‘Sparrow’ was already telling of a fond love for 90s grunge aesthetics. One thing soon led to another, including Owens’ nomination at the 2002 CFDA awards, where he took home the Perry Ellis Award for Emerging Talent. A milestone in his career, turning his name into one for the (fashion) books.
Granted, then, not only Corinne Day’s French eyes had fallen on Owens’ work, but equally some American ones had. Pioneering or coinciding, that remains a topic for debate. However, geography aside, Vogue seems to be an intrinsic part of Rick Owens’ path to success, whether that be the French or the American edition. Around the same time as the French Vogue editorial, Owens himself also starred in a spread in American Vogue alongside artist and musician Kembra Pfahler, shot by Vogue regular Annie Leibovitz, which once again traces the whole story of the designer’s recognition back to the United States.
But to get a good impression of Rick Owens as established today, both ‘side’ panels need to be disclosed. Open up only one, and half of what makes the label so noteworthy is lost. Both carry signifiers crucial to understanding how and why Rick Owens became ‘one to watch’. But perhaps most remarkable in all this is how Owens’ leather jacket never lost scope, its heyday never passed. If heyday even covers the load, as it surpasses the word’s connotation of volatile or fleeting. Jackets in general have been key figures within Owens’ work; this, combined with his masterly profoundness to manipulate leather in such a way that it becomes second-skin-like yet still sculptural, has put his leather jackets at the forefront of his oeuvre. As a designer, Owens finds comfort in the fact that all his work can somehow be traced back to that one particular garment, embodying the brand’s DNA over time. The archetype it once was in Owens’ oeuvre—even before gaining international traction—it still is to this day. Not only did he manage to anchor the leather jacket in his collections, but he re-anchored it in fashion at large, both in the wardrobes of fashion insiders and the average woman and man on the street.
Ultimately, Owens gained a foothold through endless hours of hard work and great dedication to his design language. Despite having met Carine Roitfeld through a mutual friend ahead of his spread in Vogue France, the editor-in-chief was unaware of him being a designer until years later, as Owens himself never made any mention of it. All one can hope for is the support of someone who naturally picks up on talent, which initially Charles Gallay was to Owens. Backed by stores that carried the brand even prior to any editorial recognition, the designer would have found his way out of the depths of fashion’s niche one way or another. Retracing the steps of Owens’ iconic ‘Stooges’ leather jacket is not as much about debunking the myth of the domino effect at play in fashion as it is about nuancing what the actual impetus might have been. It’s about acknowledging the power that a single story can hold over a brand’s legacy, whilst also keeping in mind that often different actors are at play, because there’s no vacuum, not even in fashion.
