Founded in 1994, Rick Owens’ namesake label started small with a following in the grunge community in Southern California. Today, the label is synonymous with the modern grunge aesthetic and reinvents everyday clothing staples through Rick Owen’s intense and mysterious lens. While shades of black dominate the lines from season to season, expect off-white and neutral colourways or accents.
Although Rick Owens offers menswear and womenswear, shoes, notably sneakers and boots, are a brand highlight. In terms of material, the shoes are often crafted from premium leather, textile, or suede. Notable features include oversized cotton laces, rounded toes, and a thick rubber outsole usually in an off-white hue. The Rick Owens DRKSHDW Luxor Low Pentagram Black Pearl boasts a black canvas upper with long cotton laces in Milk that tonally match the exaggerated rubber outsole. A stitched pentagram design decorates the side panel, which represents an adornment rarely seen on the label’s minimalist designs.
Something that makes Rick Owens products stand out is the lack of branding or brand-specific logos. Instead, long laces and drawstrings, platforms, and sloping shoulders serve as the designer’s monogram. For example, the Rick Owens DRKSHDW Abstract Low Black Milk has no branding details but stands out as a Rick Owens creation due to the oversized, rubber platform and the thick laces in Milk.
Rick Owens often collaborates with classic footwear labels, including Converse and Dr. Martens, to create reimagined versions of the labels’ iconic shoes. These shoes often bear the collaborator’s branding but no direct branding links to Rick Owens.
