Brutalist, intimate, and authentic: An insight on restraint and reflections of dexterity
In this past month, the “Lord of Darkness” Rick Owens hosted his Men’s Fall/Winter collection in his historic stately townhouse in Place du Palais Bourbon in Paris, France. Although originally determined to be hosted in the exquisite Palais de Tokyo venue, the artist’s revision sought after a more intimate locale to reflect on the brand’s 25-year mark and in deference to the “barbaric times we live in,” in defiance of current world events. The collection, now known as “PORTERVILLE,” highlighted the designer’s roots in fashion design. It recognized his hometown in Southern California with the intent of showcasing the community through a utopia of creatives that contributed to the platform.
The recent menswear show solidified a form of dignified solidarity that defies what the designer calls “airport beauty”: a term used to describe contemporary mass luxury to sell people a dream of indistinguishability. At its core, Owens believes that trends are too uniform in ways that hinder people from expressing their true selves. Airport beauty in particular forces one to restrict themselves to “a certain kind of sexuality, a certain kind of face shape, a certain kind of body shape—and it’s unattainable.”
The designer described his time in Porterville as “bleak,” further stating that he had experienced intolerance in his hometown, prompting him to dedicate his pieces towards the bigotry and insularity he felt, and instead embracing peculiarity. “When we think of where we are right now, wars are based on intolerance. Intolerance is the seed of war, intolerance and greed,” said Owens and refused to conform with the standards placed upon him. The artist goes on to say that this form of intolerance is brutally dishonest and inauthentic, and has strengthened his conviction on being “anti-intolerant.”
Owens' proto-punk dystopian aesthetic exemplifies absurdity and creativity to supplant compelled conformity, although wildly unconventional. The artist moved the show’s location to his home to show his sincerity behind increased collaborations among designers. The idea was to welcome a community of people who live for their aesthetics rather than just playing dress-up.
As seen above, the model sports an eccentric yet eye-catching look that encapsulates Owens’ dystopian-alien aesthetic with intricate detail. The long-draped oversized knit hoodie with warrior-like makeup and inflatable rubber boots illustrates an “affront to common good taste,” says Owens. The silver giant pin acts as a stand-alone piece as it accentuates the all-black aesthetic and contributes to the fascination with new maximalist trends in 2024.
Owens looked to upcycle old materials for this collection. For the boots, the designer relied on sustainable techniques by deconstructing and reusing bicycle tires to create the now iconic piece. As the upper-body piece ornately decorates the top half of the model, the body suit hangs loosely around the waist. The show described the proportions as “grotesque and inhuman” to highlight abnormality and mock forced standards of beauty.
Rick Owens shows continuity of his gothic aesthetic with models sporting leather pants with zip-up leg sleeves, oversized leather biker jackets, and black and white make-up with blacked out eyes from out of this world.
Adam Khalil is a blog writer for Revolution. This article was edited by Meliha Ural.
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