Is God a goth? After a dark and torrential downpour, the skies cleared and the sun came out for Rick Owens, who held an outdoor show against the backdrop of the Palais de Tokyo. Rather than a model parade, he used friends whom he admires “for living their aesthetic so completely and generously”, such as Hannah Dalton, the photographer Kristina Nagel and Allanah Starr, a grand dame of the Paris and New York trans community. They walked alongside fashion students and members of the Owenscorp team descending the steps of the imposing venue, not as individuals, but in tribal groups, each wearing the same kinds of garments: some in deconstructed biker jackets, some in flowing robes, others in slashed and layered knits or fishtail gowns. They looked heroic, noble, important – like diplomatic delegations from the different territories of Owens’ gloriously gothic imagination. In his habitual full-caps typeface, the designer described his casting and groupings as: “AN EXPRESSION OF UNITY AND RELIANCE ON ONE ANOTHER.”

Watching this parade of people – different ages, sizes, ethnicities… you had a sense of the uniqueness of each model as well as the power of human togetherness. That’s the great thing about Owens’ work. It resonates far beyond fashion. It has heart, soul and pure emotion, plus a moral compass. This show felt like an affirmation of the power of community, the importance of standing together.

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