Walk-In (My) Closet: October 2013

Rick Owens after showing a collection

Alas, fashion week (or, more accurately, month) has come and gone, and I was disappointed to find few shows of especial note. Will Zuhair Murad, with his albeit beautiful, romantic gowns, ever take a risk? Why all those Frankendresses by Prada?

In light of the meagre pickings this season, I turn to Rick Owens, who, if nothing else, managed to cause a stir at his show.

Diversity or Adversity?

Designer Rick Owens surprised everyone at Paris fashion week when the runway lit up to reveal a group of muscular, broad, (and mostly) black step dancers. His show, called Vicious, featured four university student step groups: the Soul Steps and Momentum from New York and the Washington Divas and Zetas from the D.C. area (Refinery29). Marching to a percussion-heavy beat, the ladies synchronically clapped and marched, wearing snarling faces as well as Owen’s latest designs throughout the energetic performance. (Watch the video here.)

The steppers wore minimal utilitarian designs

The problem? As Shauntele, one of the steppers admitted, “There has been concern from some that our performance perpetuated stereotypes of the 'angry black woman' due to the use of the grit face.” (Grit refers the intense, angry expressions black step teams wear to intimidate competition and show strength in spite of atrocities suffered.) Critics contend that, when taken out of the context of step competition, the meaning of grit is lost; the performers’ scowls are too easily interpreted as “animalistic,” making black women seem more “other” than ever.

Steppers put on the "grit" face

Amanda Williams, columnist for The Grio, supports this view when she writes, “Beauty, whether we believe it is socially salient, was not portrayed by the models in Owens’ show.” Instead of celebrating diversity and inclusivity, Owens used seemingly mad black women as “props,” an act of cultural appropriation on par with Miley Cyrus’s twerking in her 2013 VMA performance.

Do you think Owens’s attempt to include black women into mainstream fashion was a failure? Or did he, as Shauntele believes, successfully challenge standards of beauty (i.e., thin, white, classically beautiful females) that have dominated the fashion industry to the “detriment of untold numbers of women” (Refinery29)?

My two cents: although Owens’s presentation of his newest collection was not unproblematic, he has inspired a dialogue about race and gender issues on the runway—a hard task to achieve. It’s enough for me to give the historically rebellious designer a nod of approval.

About Rick Owens

Rick Owens is an American expatriate to Paris. He learned how to make clothes by taking courses at Otis/Parson’s, though he dropped out partway through school to make sportswear and designer knock-offs in the L.A. area. (You can still detect the sportswear influence in his spring 2014 collection, which is streamlined, functional, and minimal.)

Revillon Fur Co. ad from 1926

In 1994, Owens began a label of his own, eventually landing in Barney’s and winning the Perry Ellis Award forEmerging Talent for his efforts. After moving to Paris, he worked as artistic director at Revillon, a luxury furrier.

Later, in 2008, Owens opened his first boutique store in Manhattan, which showcased the work we know him for today: “savagely sophisticated rock couture” (Style.com). His palette is mostly black, his best-known medium is leather, and he doesn’t shy away from a little exposed hardware:

Owens' asymmetrical dresses; long, clingy T-shirts; and embellished outerwear have been seen on hard/soft types like Courtney Love and Madonna, and the designer's fan club buys up his clothes with a cultlike alacrity. (Style.com)