25 Jun 2025

Rick Owens: Story of an underground prince

From his tormented young years in Los Angeles’s underground scene, Rick Owens has lost none of his punk attitude when he founded his label in 1994. This uncompromising designer inaugurated his solo exhibition at the Palais Galliera on June 25th, right in the middle of the Paris Fashion Week. Story of a provocative and visionary figure of the underground scene. 

  • By Frédéric Martin-Bernard.

  • Published on June 25, 2025. Updated on July 2, 2025.

    Rick Owens: a provocative designer to see at the Palais Galliera

    The pun was too easy and hinged on a single letter after Rick Owens’s daring Fall/Winter 2015-2016 show. “Daring” since the models wore tunics, long T-shirts and long hoodies. But underneath them, they had no underwear. That unprecedented parade of private parts made a splash on social media and earned the American designer the temporary nickname “Dick Owens.”

    Over than 20 years of memorable shows

    Many other shows by the California-born, Paris-based designer have left a lasting impression since 2003. Credit goes to his monumental staging, deafening music, and never-before-seen model casting. But most of all, to creations that often look as though they were sculpted just moments before hitting the runway.

    One season, strategic perforations defined the silhouettes. The next, uncontrolled outgrowths, massive volumes, oversized padding, ultra-tight knits, or raw-edged leathers redefined the wardrobe of this master of the cut. His designs are often on the verge of couture rather than ready-to-wear.

    Visionary and experimental collections

    Rick Owens studied dressmaking and tailoring techniques in the mid-1980s at the Otis College of Art and Design in Los Angeles. There, he met Michèle Lamy, a French artist and model who was also developing her own brand in California. Initially brought on to help her refine her designs, he ended up forging a deep connection with her. When he decided to launch his own label in 1994, she became his guiding force, muse, mentor, and partner in both life and work.

    In the early years, Rick Owens’s fashion remained relatively niche, sold in a handful of stores only. In 2002, he held his first women’s show in New York. The same year, the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) awarded him the Emerging Talent Award. This recognition led to his appointment as artistic director of the French fur house Revillon. He then moved to Paris with his wife and business.

    “Rick Owens’s collections questioned the notion of a third gender long before it became a mainstream topic of conversation.”

    During this prolific period, the American designer and his imposing Sioux-like presence began creating menswear designs as well. They reflected his own style without claiming to represent another gender. Rick Owens’s collections questioned the notion of a third gender long before it became a mainstream topic of conversation.

    Furniture, books… a multi-talented designer

    In 2005, he created his first, bold pieces of furniture in raw, massive, greyed or blackened materials… His references ranged from Eileen Gray to Constantin Brancusi, not to mention the skate parks of his Californian youth. Once again, he shaped a style like no other.

    The following year, this furniture was available in his first store, which brought together his entire creative universe, next to the Palais-Royal gardens in Paris. In 2007, he self-published a book of words and images with the quirky title L’ai-je bien descendu?, a perfect illustration of his creative spirit.

    His approach gravitates more toward the artist than the fashion designer. Rick Owens has received several accolades from the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum, Fashion Group International, and CFDA, which honoured his entire career in Spring 2017. Later that same year, a retrospective of his work was open in Milan. A series of honours that never swayed him from his mission – to keep creating in a singular, powerful way.

    “Rick Owens, Temple of Love,” from June 28th to January 4th, 2026, at the Palais Galliera, Paris 16th.