“I still believe in love”, blared the remixed Diana Ross soundtrack for the Rick Owens show and if anyone can command true fashion devotion it’s him. Freak or chic, Owens is your high priest. The truly stylish worship at his alter. One woman even climbed a tree outside the venue so she could get a view of the show. Another tried to gain entry in the slipstream of a head-to-toe Owen’s devotee, “but I’m holding her train!” they pleaded. Such commitment is normal in the world of Owens.

There’s always a sense of defiance and resistance with Owens’ uncompromising self expression at the heart of it. His Black isn’t just black, it’s “drama queen black”, his red is “exultant red”. His models look heroic.  

For SS24 he was inspired by a Bjork concert and how her energy and sense of hope contrasted with his own “mopey adolescent pessimism”. Concluding that joy is a moral obligation, he served Big Rick Energy. Pink and yellow emergency flares filled the air with coloured smoke, and confetti cannons popped off as his cast of alien beauties walked by. They wore floor length leather mermaid skirts, striking cocoon capes and leather jackets with winged “DeLorean” shoulders.

He was keen to stress his use of local Italian jersey, leather and craftsmanship – his factory is in Concordia. Those gauntlet gloves are all made by hand. The rest is made with care and passion and presented with such conviction as to take your breath away.

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