Rick Owens Spring Summer 2025 collection fashion show at Paris Fashion Week SS25

by Editor - 17:23:00

There was a dramatic build-up to Rick Owens's Spring Summer 2025 exhibition because the weather was threatening to ruin it with nonstop rain. Text messages all throughout Paris buzzed with anticipation: Is Rick actually outside? Owens, who is well-known for his cinematic productions on the grand Palais de Tokyo terrace, decided to take a chance, and just as the presentation was about to start, sunshine appeared, maybe thanks to chance or a small Ganesh figurine that was tucked beneath a bench. It seemed as though Ken Russell or Cecil B. DeMille, two directors who greatly influenced Owens, were controlling the weather from behind the scenes.

Rick Owens Spring Summer 2025 collection fashion show at Paris Fashion Week SS25

Old Hollywood's grand epics have long been a source of inspiration for Owens's darkly gorgeous, camp-infused style. This season, Owens immersed his audience in his imaginative world once more because to the decaying grandeur of the venue and the striking hair and makeup done by Daniel Sallstrom and Duffy. His creations had the customary ethereal, extreme beauty, but when he turned the attention from models to students from Parisian design schools, the presentation took an unexpected turn.

The concept for this season's inclusive cast originated with the previous season's exclusive show in his Left Bank residence. Backstage, Owens remarked, "My response to that was, okay, we'll invite everybody, and they can all be in the show." The student models provided a stark contrast to the growing constrictive standards of professional models because they were of a variety of sizes and forms. Seeing this as an opportunity to push his group, Owens said, "How do we develop good content that fits all of these people? Doing things one size fits all is pretty simple. The outcome was the week's most varied runway, a personal accomplishment for Owens in his advocacy of inclusivity and a reminder of his own journey from rural California to the "weirdos and freaks" of Hollywood Boulevard.

Rain-slicked marble runway proved difficult for Owens's distinctive long, tight skirts with fishtail hems, which evoked the glamour of Hollywood in the 1930s. The inclusion Owens intended was somewhat undermined by the discomfort a few of the student models experienced navigating the venue, as they were not prepared for the challenges posed by such dramatic clothing.

Nevertheless, the collection's inventiveness and joy eventually won out. Boundaries were broken with looks like giant tulle stoles, deflated inflatable boots by regular partner Straytukay, and denim cutoffs that looked like they had been dipped in tar. The same tall boots combined with airy printed chiffon caftans that trailed capes perfectly captured Owens's typical mix of extravagance and freedom. Unravelling knit dresses that combined comfort and extravagance were created in association with Slovenian craftswoman Tanja Vidic.

Owens condensed his ideology into these words: "I've always thought of my life's mission as kind of balancing out oppressive discrimination and intolerance—that's always been my thing—by proposing a very cheerful perversity." Owens' SS25 collection succeeded in mixing beauty and rebellion with his own, inclusive vision, even in the face of unpredictable weather.