We reflect on Rick Owens' S/S14 menswear show in Paris
On Thursday morning, at Rick Owens' S/S14 menswear show in Paris, a becaped figure resembling The Lord of the Rings’s Gandalf made its way to the catwalk and started singing in a screeching voice. Soon enough, three hirsute players carrying unlikely instruments (an electrified lute and banjo) followed, along with two gravity-defying drummers suspended vertically on a spinning platform.
""They were on Eurovision and they lost”, said Owens"
Winny Puhh was the name of the Estonian deathcore band: “they were on Eurovision and they lost”, said Owens, “I saw them on the internet and felt a jolt of recognition”. Their extreme lupine looks and cheerfully aggressive music were in perfect contrast with the laid-back, wearable clothes. And, as entrancing as the performance was, it didn’t drown the collection. Models galloping across the catwalk flashed oversized jackets, mesh tops and fringed leather belts (worn with sneakers designed by Owens in collaboration with Adidas) at a dazed audience trying to figure out the clothes while watching the werewolves being whisked skyward upside down. After ten relentlessly thrilling minutes the show was over and Owens took a bow among frenzied applause. Not only had he just presented an appealing collection for his longtime fans, he had also taken show theatrics to a whole new level.
Text by Marta Represa
Marta Represa is a freelance writer specialising in fashion, art, photography and culture.
