Rick Owens Maps Out Concordia

The town of Concordia, Italy, where Rick Owens has been producing his garments for two decades, informed his latest menswear collection, 'Concordians'. Departing from the grandeur of last season’s cinematic spectacle, Concordians focused on the essential. "I want to depend on fewer things, but make them as supernatural as possible," he determined post-show.
At the all-familiar Palais de Tokyo in Paris, Owens leant into his signature strength: proportion. Cropped shearling jackets and sweaters with exaggerated shoulders introduced architectural volume, while high, angular ‘Dracucollars’ extended outward, pushing traditional silhouettes into new territory. Double-faced wool caftans followed, paired with asymmetrical leather mini-skirts, while harnesses and straps appeared across coats and tunics. Later, Owens’ collaboration with Parisian artisan Matisse Di Maggio saw frilled tops and hoodies slashed and made entirely of natural rubber. Though the manipulation of form was pronounced, the garments retained an inherent wearability. The palette stayed true to Owens’ universe: muted blacks, greys, and deep olives.
Pants were rendered in various textures, including bronze-waxed denim, Japanese indigo slub and brown suede, while thermal long johns layered under shorts referenced Owens’ early adaptation to European winters. With sharply angled panels slicing through coated leather trousers, the fractured, geometric effect was apparent throughout the collection. Accessories added their own dimension: fringed boots, a collaboration with Parisian designer Victor Clavelly, were laser-cut and handwoven from heavyweight Groppone cow leather, their feather-like cut mimicking the fluidity of bird movement; luggage tags were seen on necklaces; cow fur adorned the neck; and bleached alligator bags added to the collection's tactile drama. Owens also reworked his Kiss Boot into the "Factory" model, designed with non-slip soles—practical enough for the factory floors of Concordia, and still Owens in their audacious form. Meanwhile, he teased his collaboration with Rimowa—a bronze 'Richard Serra’ carry-on case, lined in black leather, turning travel into an even more luxurious affair.
'Concordians' avoided theatrics, focusing instead on precision. Each piece reminded us that even in its refinement, Owens’ work remains both confronting and personal. This collection, one of his more pared-back, celebrated restraint without compromising his signature edge, squaring utilitarian elements with subversion. It felt like a deliberate pause—a reflection on the practical and essential—leaving us to wonder what new areas Owens will conquer next.
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