Inviting 100 guests into his Parisian home, Rick Owens honored the same space where his collections were showcased 25 years ago through his Fall/Winter 2024 collection.
Rick Owens Menswear Fall 2024 Collection
The collection, named Porterville after the California town where Rick Owens grew up, reflects a stark contrast between his past and present. He describes Porterville as “bleak” and recalls its intolerance, though mild compared to today’s standards. In contrast, the Parisian house Owens shares with Michele Lamy, which she secured over two decades ago, serves as a sanctuary. The house, once an office for Francois Mitterand’s Socialist Party before it went bankrupt, became a symbol of creative collectivism today. Owens opened its doors to emphasize his commitment to being a “haven” and a “force of anti-intolerance.”
Rick Owens Menswear Fall 2024 Collection
As expected, Rick Owens’ favorite model, Tyrone Dylan, opened the show, striding through the designer’s Maison with confidence. Bathed in natural light from the floor-to-ceiling windows, he wore only cascading ribbed shorts and experimental balloon-like footwear designed in collaboration with London-based designer Straytukay. The boots, creating friction as they moved, were accompanied by English designer Leo Prothman’s reinterpretation of the Kiss boot with strapped leather.
Rick Owens Menswear Fall 2024 Collection
Models with blackened eyes were dressed head-to-toe in hooded onesies and oversized jumpers featuring sharpened Porterville lettering. Owens’ signature pointed puffers extended above the head, while furry, energetic creatures added an otherworldly element. The collection heavily utilized upcycling techniques, with deconstructed bicycle tires transformed into rubberized gear from alternate realms. Boxy motorcycle jackets were meticulously zipped and perfected, and interlocked fur was shaped into wearable spheres. For FW24, Owens returned to his roots, taking us on a journey through time and inviting us into his unique world.
Rick Owens Menswear Fall 2024 Collection
For Owens, this experience embodies contemporary mass luxury and the intolerance of difference it creates by promoting a uniform ideal—a standard he refers to as “airport beauty.” “I call that standard ‘airport beauty.’ And I oppose it. When I wear my platform boots through the airport, it is to resist airport beauty. This is my resistance,” he explains.
Rick Owens Menswear Fall 2024 Collection
Much like laughing at a bully, using absurdity is a powerful way to challenge enforced conformity. This is why Owens opened his Paris home for his menswear show this morning. “That standard is dishonest… but this is a fully realized Rick Owens experience. It can’t get any more honest or authentic than this. My fundamental urge this season was to be sincere,” he shared. He continued, “I’m trying to engage with and contribute to all forms of alternative beauty: sometimes bombastic beauty, but also kind and soft beauty.”
Rick Owens’ Menswear Fashion Show for 2024 is a signature blend of avant-garde and rebellious aesthetics, solidifying his resistance to conventional standards of beauty. The collection is another step for Rick Owens to spread the unique “airport beauty” message through his iconic fashion house codes.