Rick Owens

[dji]

Does anyone know what the deal is with the Samurai Jersey? Can't figure it out. Or maybe that's all there is...

perhaps the fabric is more resilient against velcro.

those extreme wax berlin jeans look like DH with the thick waxed coating, too glossy and not grungy enough imo. bitter chocolate is a bit of a fail colour, not feeling it on the leathers at all. kudos to whoever buys the heavy merino dress.

[Fuuma]

Wow...
I have one day away from the site and look what happens!
First of all;
Come on guys, don’t get angry with our young friend here. I thought that the point of forums was debate. Just because the debate takes a turn that wasn’t planned doesn’t make it any less valid and I believe that it is relevant to the design of Rick Owens in particular, so I think that this debate does belong on this thread.

Secondly;
Resorting to personal insults because the disagreement is frustrating, is beneath all of you guys... Really though!
It is exactly this kind of debate that makes art of any kind interesting and keeps things moving forward.

And last of all if anyone’s still reading, this is my opinion;
Larry, first of all, well done for rocking the boat man. Great entrance, keep it up. Debate should never be comfortable or it’s not debate, it’s just a conversation! Maybe try to refrain from insulting the people that you’re debating with. That’s not cool man. We’re all nerds in one way or another. Me personally, I’m covered in tattoos! Last time I went to Paris buying, I rode a big ass fucking motorbike all the way from Yorkshire, and back again. I’ve lived on the streets of South Beach, Miami and I used to be in a band. I once partied for 5 days and nights without any food or sleep (or none alcoholic liquid for that matter!). I was finally put to bed in disgrace, by my girlfriend, for trying to fight over a hundred people including several club security! Oh yes, and I’ve also done pretty much every narcotic known to man.

I’m not telling you all this to impress you. I’m not proud of it. It just is who I was, and what made me who I am. I am telling you because I think that, most people would say that I do qualify as “the real thing” but I’m still a nerd. I still love discussing the aesthetics of Velcro and metal fastenings. It’s what floats my boat, and always has been. I also love the aesthetics of motorcycles and music and I’m a nerd about those too.
Anyway, I digress...
I understand where you’re coming from and you do make some valid points that I have thought about myself, but like most idealistic, young people you haven’t thought them out to their ultimate ends. For example, you presume that the people who are wearing Rick are trying to look like the people that Rick has taken his inspiration from. You also assume that because you see these people as edgy, that they must see themselves as edgy, or that they are trying to be edgy. These are pretty big assumptions and ‘assumption is the mother of all fuckups’. I wear Rick and Carpe Diem and m.a+. I carry a 20 year old Chrome Hearts bag and wear a 20 year old Chrome Hearts wallet. Am I ‘edgy’, am I trying to be ‘edgy’, or is this just who I am, my aesthetic. You don’t know, so it is a mistake to assume that you do. To be honest I don’t even know, maybe the truth is a little of all three! We all dress up. We all put on our armour before we walk out the door, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that we’re trying to be someone else. Your punk friends who live in squats do exactly the same thing, just because they don’t have the money to buy Rick doesn’t make their motives any different, and the same goes for the hippies. We all have different aesthetics but our motives are the same, it’s human nature.., instinct. We are all nailing our colours to the mast. We are saying, “this is who I am and this is the group that I belong to”. Doesn’t matter whether it’s an Armani suit, a Rick leather or a pair of homemade tie-dye pants... same motives! Instinctive, tribal, human nature. The mistake that all of us make at some point is to assume that our tribe is better than the others, that we understand more than the others, but this is another assumption with no real foundation. If we’ve never been a part of another tribe, it would be a mistake to assume that we know how they think. Sometimes things are a lot deeper than they seem to be.
To take you up on another point; this thing that you have about purity and originality, and arts destruction through commerciality. Your argument really is grossly flawed, as you haven’t thought it through to its ultimate conclusion. You see the capitalistic motives which drive the commercialisation of most art forms, are conversely the exact reasons that we are all in a position to see and discuss said art forms. Wow, so capitalism feeds socialism! That can’t be right! Well, how about this for an example; Rick Owens would not put such time and effort into his design if there was no financial reward. People may disagree or not like the fact, but it remains a fact. If you take away the financial stimulus, 99.99% of artists of any description would produce less. I didn’t say stop producing; I simply said produce less... fact. Now let’s look at the media. Obviously, without the good journalists, some of whom contribute here, the vast majority of us would simple not know about these artists. Do you think that the journalist would produce less if there was no financial reward? What about the media outlets, TV, magazines, newspapers, websites? How about the stores, like mine, which welcome you to come and look around and try things on, even if you don’t want to, or can’t afford to purchase. Do you think that we would be here if there was no financial reward? Now, if all of these people did not do what they do, none of us would even have heard of Rick, of Versace, or Jackson Pollock, or the Sex Pistols, or Bob Dylan, or Mozart and the world would be a much, much poorer place. So I suppose that my point is, the system may be flawed, but until someone comes up with a new one (and many have tried, Karl Marx, Vladimir Lenin, Mao Tse Tung and Fidel Castro, to name just four), it’s the best we’ve got. I would also argue that whatever your politics you would have to agree that, all forms of art suffered greatly under the regimes that resulted from these men’s ideology.
Finally, following on from my last point, I would say that like most idealistic young people, you have given no thought to the socio-economic implications of your argument. The clothing industry keeps hundreds of millions of people, all over the world, in jobs. It keeps roofs over our heads and puts food on our tables, so by arguing for its de-commercialisation, you are arguing to destroy an industry and put millions of people out of work.
I went to stay with my friend, Geoffrey B. Small, near Venice, this summer and he kindly took me on a tour of the surrounding area. I did not know this but at one time that area was the heart of Italian denim production. Almost every family’s income was directly connected to that industry. Over the last ten years, the production has disappeared, either moved up a level and taken to Japan or down a level and taken to China, but now there is high unemployment and as a result, unless something is done by the Italian government the communities will begin to fall apart and the culture will be lost. This is not a guess. It will happen, I saw my own community destroyed in the same way after the coal mine closures in the 1980’s and early 90’s. Now, I’m not saying that this is as a result of the de-commercialisation of an industry, but it is an example of the same result. The major difference being that in this example the production has moved elsewhere, not ceased altogether.

Incidentally, I don’t know if you know of my friend Geoffrey but he is a good example of the kind of thing that we are discussing. He is an amazing designer whose creations capture the history of clothing in modern wearable garments, which are beautifully made and finished. He produces everything in house (himself and 3 other people work on every garment). No factory production (Not even Maurizio Amadei or the great Maurizio Altieri can say that)! He is not interested in producing any more than he already does. He has no marketing and PR people. It is wonderful! But there is a down side. Although he has been working since the 80s and has had more Paris catwalk shows than any other American Designer, not many people have even heard of him. This is a great loss to the world! I would also have to say that, great as his cloths are, they don’t keep as many people in gainful employment as Rick’s. It appears though, that we do have the best of all worlds; Rick and Geoffrey!

I confirm this man is rocking. Looks like a mix of hooligan, biker and yes, fashion aesthete. This things co-habit and reflect who we are, who we were, who we ride with and who we wish we were and might someday be.

Good post.

[dji]

the back pocket on that exploder hooded jacket is ridic too...

[crz]

^ haters gonna hate

[fenrost]

not liking the back pockets either... the leather doesnt look impressive from the pics.. need to handle them in rl to appreciate it i guess.

only liking the shirts and tanks as usual so far. :\

[Ivans On High]

I'm with you fen. Nothing really grabbing me except the basics and the boiled wool blazer.

[BSR]

Mixed feelings about this too...The Dracula leather jacket seems to only look nice with collar raised, but in this pic, the combo it makes with the new drop crotch is however quite impressive :

[Avantster]

Great articulate post, Hobo. By the way we should start a thread on Geoffrey B. Small if there isn't one already.

I went to stay with my friend, Geoffrey B. Small, near Venice, this summer and he kindly took me on a tour of the surrounding area. I did not know this but at one time that area was the heart of Italian denim production. Almost every family’s income was directly connected to that industry. Over the last ten years, the production has disappeared, either moved up a level and taken to Japan or down a level and taken to China, but now there is high unemployment and as a result, unless something is done by the Italian government the communities will begin to fall apart and the culture will be lost. This is not a guess. It will happen, I saw my own community destroyed in the same way after the coal mine closures in the 1980’s and early 90’s. Now, I’m not saying that this is as a result of the de-commercialisation of an industry, but it is an example of the same result. The major difference being that in this example the production has moved elsewhere, not ceased altogether.

Incidentally, I don’t know if you know of my friend Geoffrey but he is a good example of the kind of thing that we are discussing. He is an amazing designer whose creations capture the history of clothing in modern wearable garments, which are beautifully made and finished. He produces everything in house (himself and 3 other people work on every garment). No factory production (Not even Maurizio Amadei or the great Maurizio Altieri can say that)! He is not interested in producing any more than he already does. He has no marketing and PR people. It is wonderful! But there is a down side. Although he has been working since the 80s and has had more Paris catwalk shows than any other American Designer, not many people have even heard of him. This is a great loss to the world! I would also have to say that, great as his cloths are, they don’t keep as many people in gainful employment as Rick’s. It appears though, that we do have the best of all worlds; Rick and Geoffrey!

[dji]

^ haters gonna hate

you honestly like that back pocket? I like the design of the jacket a lot but that back pocket is neither visually appealing or practical, doubt it would be too comfortable either. don't get me started on the 2 "hats" this season either...

the hammered lambskin molino would be dope in black, I like the heavy washed leather a lot more than the overdone distressing of the blistered leather.

[lowrey]

Great articulate post, Hobo. By the way we should start a thread on Geoffrey B. Small if there isn't one already.

there isn't a recent one, but if its up to me, one will show up in due time ;)

I'm digging the new RO NYC photos. love the half flannel jacket.

[hobo]

I actually don't mind the back pocket, I thought it looks kind of "cute" and great for camping I suppose..

I really need to know you! Anyone who goes camping in a Rick leather needs to be celebrated.

[hobo]

Mixed feelings about this too...The Dracula leather jacket seems to only look nice with collar raised, but in this pic, the combo it makes with the new drop crotch is however quite impressive :

The collar does work down as well, but it just looks like a classic biker in a really cool leather. Some may want that but I think there are far better styles which represent the 'Rick aesthetic’ better.

[Heirloom]

I like the back pockets, I LOVE the hats (I'm getting one) and I want both the samurai jersey and the heavy merino dress. Finally some surrealistic garments for men. I adore it.

[mrbeuys]

I like the back pockets, I LOVE the hats (I'm getting one) and I want both the samurai jersey and the heavy merino dress. Finally some surrealistic garments for men. I adore it.

The dress is amazing, not something I could pull off. I must have 'found' it on the rack half a dozen times, thinking it was a knit, only to realise it was on 2 hangers. I could buy it and make it into a top and a skirt... The hats are nice, but even I am not prepared to pay £215 for them. They do structure your head very nicely though... ah, who am I kidding, I will probably get it next week.

[Heirloom]

how much is the dress and the samurai jersey?