Rick Owens wears 'ridiculous' platforms to feel powerful
Rick Owens feels like he can take on the world in a pair of platforms.
Rick Owens wears platforms as a "statement against good taste".
The 64-year-old fashion designer - who has just launched a partnership with luxury suitcase brand Rimowa - feels powerful in the "ridiculous" footwear and a statement coat.
Speaking to GQ, he said of his go-to travel attire: "I always travel wearing platforms and a coat – that's my silhouette. In the summer the coat is in chiffon. But I always wear the platforms because I feel like if anybody sees me, I want them to know that I mean what I say, and that everything I put on a runway, it's for real.
"Also, the platforms are ridiculous – and that's the appeal. They're kind of a statement against good taste. And when I'm wearing platforms, I'm thinking about some 10-year-old sissy who's out there, and I want them to see that they can do anything they f****** want."
Despite launching a Rimowa collection, Rick – who has collaborated with footwear brands Dr. Martens and Converse in the past - admits he's not a fan of travelling.
Asked if he likes the jet-set lifestyle, he said: "Not really. Especially long flights. Thankfully, I don't have to travel much, [or at least] as much as a lot of people do. My job isn't dependent on making personal appearances or going to dinner parties."
Rick - who launched his eponymous fashion brand in 1994 and grew to prominence after supermodel Kate Moss appeared in Vogue Paris in one of his signature leather jackets - is known for his love of dramatic, oversized silhouettes and edgy Gothic and Grunge style, but he admits "the younger sissy me" would've felt "threatened" walking through an airport dressed that way.
Asked if he ever gets stopped by fans, he said: "Not really. I'm not that inviting and I don't look around that much. Although the last time I was in the Bologna airport there was this gang of college soccer players. And the younger sissy me would've been threatened. But now they want selfies. And it's the cutest thing because, just thinking of all these straight guys, they would've beat me up 40 years ago!"
