Rick Owens was born in California in 1962. He dropped out of Art school in the 1980's.

Initially he worked as a cutter is a shop that made fast copies of successful garments.

He started making garments under his own name in 1994 in Los Angeles. His moody, toned, draped and deconstructed designs, asymmetrical dresses and fitted jackets with jagged hems, have been worn for years by loyal fans like Courtney Love and Madonna.

His long-time lover and muse is Michelle Lamy, owner of Hollywood's hotspot Les Deux Cafes.

Although he has been in the fashion world for nearly 20 years, Rick only came to everyone's notice when he was awarded the CFDA New Talent award at the 40th Awards Night in June 2002.

Spring/Summer 2003

Rick presented his Spring/Summer 2003 collection at the New York Fashion Week in September 2002. This is an outfit from that show.

His clothes were body-hugging, his skirts fashioned from bias-cut gossamer-light jersey and his famous leathers washed and crumpled. They were all sexy, beautifully made and supremely comfortable as always.

Fall/Winter 2003

Rick Owens decided to move to Paris for his Fall collection, and showed it during Paris Fashion Week in March 2003. An outfit from the collection is shown on the right.

He sent his fans to military camp, showing baggy trousers tucked into heavy army boots and oversized jersey T-shirts worn by models whose expressions were meaner than mean. Boxy leather oversized jackets and parkas with stuffing spilling out of their seams.

His evening looks however, were much prettier. Grecian goddess jersey robes in oyster, burgundy and steel grey. He also included floppy ribbed knits.

Haute Couture - Fall/Winter 2003

Rick Owens made his Haute Couture debut in Paris in July. He has relocated his entire workshop from LA to Paris, and entered into partnership with the French fur House of Revillon (founded in 1723).

He showed his signature fluid jersey vests, column dresses and cropped trousers, along with stunning shawls made of ostrich feathers.

Spring/Summer 2004

During Paris Fashion Week in October 2003, Rick Owens showed his collection for next Spring. A dress and coat from this collection are shown on the right.

Owens cited illustrator Rene Gruau and Jean-Paul Goude as the two main influences on this collection. Instead of his usual dark floor-length shapes there were short skirts with floating asymmetric trails and stretch gauze tops wrapping the breast and torso. Even the familiar grey was interrupted by washes of pastels like pink, peach, coral, pistachio and acqua. He is clearly going in the right direction for summer.

Fall/Winter 2004 ready-to-wear

Rick Owens presented his Revillon Fall collection in Paris during Fashion Week in March 2004. He has a singular point of view, such as high-heeled ankle boots for men and paper-thin leather jackets with trailing ends. His draped layers knits were so thin and airy, they resembled chiffon. Owen's garments are really unusual, but they are finding their way into the wardrobes of women the world over.

Spring/Summer 2005
Ready-to-Wear

During Paris Fashion Week in October 2004, Rick Owens showed his collection for next Spring. An outfit from this collection is shown on the right.

The designer has now moved to Paris from Los Angeles, and also designs for Revillon furs. His abstract skirt forms and angular shoulder pieces were inspired (he says) by nuns, although they seem to have similarities to Japanese designers like Rei Kawakubo. His new colour palette which included shades of pink, orange and cinnamon worked quite beautifully, and his slim bias-cut thirties georgette dresses were good. Some of his jackets and skirts had a new romantic feeling, and his ragged edged shorts felt right for the season.

Autumn/Winter 2005
Paris Fashion Week

Rick Owen's Autumn/Winter collection was shown during Paris Fashion Week in March 2005. His rocking wraith dresses in felted piled fabrics, training skinny skirts in greys and browns, are not for every woman to wear. You have to have courage to wear his clothes, particularly the cropped sheepskin boleros and skirts. Velvet flaired pants might be a bit more popular.

Spring/Summer 2006
Paris Fashion Week

Rick Owens presented his Spring/Summer 2006 collection during Paris Fashion Week in October 2005. A sleeveless saffron coloured chiffon gown, with a white frilled panel across the bodice, from the collection is shown on the right.

It was an upscale and elegant collection with many garments cut assymmetrically or on the bias. He created waterfalls of pleats as jacket collars, or across the skirts. Long narrow skirts in filmy fabrics almost hobbled the models above their sturdy boots. This season, Owen's created ragged knots of chiffon down sleeves or tiny pleats shaping the back of skirts. He made a splash with a python collar fanning open to the waist.