Rick Owens

Embrace. Rick Owens AW26

| Design & Culture by Ed

Rick Owens’s ritualistic processions and towering, otherworldly silhouettes have become a piercing aperture in the midst of the Paris shows – one that entrances the viewer and draws you deeper and deeper with every season. Some say the designer is increasingly repeating himself, but I prefer to see it as a process of perfecting. His black gowns are leaner and more elongated than usual; the collars of the jackets reach a totemic monumentality; wrap-around dresses and outerwear become shelters.

The fact that Marlene Dietrich served as Owens’s muse this season adds another layer. He said he admired the arc of her life – from societal provocateur to wartime hero (the actress volunteered for USO tours, traveling to Algeria and across Europe to sing for the troops) and, later, to a steely cabaret legend. Dietrich’s iconic swansdown jacket inspired Owens’s spectacular goat-hair coats, whose monumental proportions engulf the wearer in a powerful embrace.

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.
Don’t forget to follow Design & Culture by Ed on Instagram.

Hey, did you know about my newsletter – Ed’s Dispatch? Click here to subscribe.

Radical Uniform. Rick Owens AW26

| Design & Culture by Ed

Rick Owens’s latest collection? Hard as ice-cold metal, raw as Kim Gordon’s newest song, emotionally explosive like a Lynne Ramsay film – yet, at the same time, utterly and devastatingly beautiful. This season, the designer was invested in the idea of uniforms: they command presence and provoke threat, but once mocked, they can easily tip into something almost hilarious. It was therefore intriguing to see how Owens reimagined hyper-masculine utilitarianism within his twisted universe, where darkness functions as the true source of light.

The athletic models appeared even more otherworldly in elongated, skin-tight silhouettes, ornamented with floor-sweeping tentacles, razor-sharp shoulder pads, and origami-like constructions that quite literally enveloped the wearer. Color-washed, cropped gothic cashmere coats took on a grunge edge when paired with stone-washed pants, while Rick’s signature high-platform boots pushed each look into even more extreme, radical territory. It’s a tough world out there, and Owens designs clothes that protect you – physically and mentally – from the harsh detriments of reality.

ED’s SELECTION:

Rick Owens Jumbo Tabard Silk-chiffon Turtleneck Blouse


Rick Owens x Dr. Martens 1460 Quad Sole Megalace Leather Ankle Boots


Rick Owens Triple Donut Convertible Cashmere Sweater


Rick Owens Cropped Bleached Brushed-cotton Bomber Jacket


Rick Owens Satin Wide-leg Cargo Pants

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.
Don’t forget to follow Design & Culture by Ed on Instagram.

Hey, did you know about my newsletter – Ed’s Dispatch? Click here to subscribe.