As far as column inches go, men’s fashion week doesn’t tend to gain as much traction in the press as the women’s shows. Until now, that is.
Rick Owen’s 'ballsy' show caused quite the stir when, last week, he sent male models down the catwalk in Paris, many of them with no trousers on; draped figures whose modesty was definitely not intact. Thus the ‘free willy’ tag and the almost instant trending on social media of #dickowens.
Owens has finally addressed the ensuing ruckus, writing in an email to WWD, ‘I pass classical marble statues of nude and draped figures in the park every day, and they are a vision of sensuality — yes, but also of grace and freedom.
'As a participant in one of our most progressive aesthetic arenas, am I not allowed to use this imagery? Is it only appropriate for a Michael Fassbender movie? I thought this might be an interesting question.’
Owens knows these looks won’t be copied verbatim (for fear of arrest, and the rather chilly weather of late).
‘We all know that runway looks aren’t meant to be taken literally, they illustrate an ethos. I would like to present a utopian world of grace free of fear and shame,’ he noted.
