RICK OWENS- FW2018- SISYPHUS

THIS FALL /WINTER COLLECTION IS TITLED SISYPHUS AFTER THE ARROGANT KING IN GREEK MYTHOLOGY WHO WAS PUNISHED BY ZEUS TO ETERNALLY ROLL A BOULDER UP A HILL ONLY TO HAVE IT ROLL BACK DOWN, OVER AND OVER AGAIN, FOREVER. IT’S DRAINING TO WATCH UNHEALTHY CYCLES REPEAT THEMSELVES, BEHAVIOURALLY AND HISTORICALLY, AND EVERY ONCE IN A WHILE, IT’S HARD TO SUPRESS A HOWL OF RAGE. IF WE HAVEN’T LEARNED BETTER BY NOW, AFTER ALLLLL THIS TIME, DOES THIS MEAN UNHEALTHY CYCLES AND BASE URGES ARE AN INTEGRAL PART OF THE HUMAN CONDITION? AND IF THEY ARE INTEGRAL, DOES THAT MEAN THEY HAVE SOME KIND OF HORRIBLE VALUE? RENDING ONE’S CLOTHES IN ANGER HAS A DRAMATICALLY BIBLICAL SOUND — HERE THESE CLOTHES ARE RENT IN A BIT MORE OF A DELIBERATE AND PERHAPS FATALISTIC WAY. DOUBLE KNIT TUNICS IN MERCERIZED COTTON FACED WITH CASHMERE WE REFER TO AS ‘CASHBOARD’ ARE SLIT AND SLASHED TO HANG AND GAPE AROUND THE BODY... OR CUT IN THIN AND CRISP WRAPPED JACKETS THAT CAN BE USED AS LAYERS UNDER COATS. HAPHAZARD CARGO CHAPS ARE CUT IN CAMEL HAIR FLANNEL TO MATCH HIGH WAISTED PANTS CUT WITH A CUMMERBUND SILHOUETTE... AND RAW DARK DENIM JEANS HAVE BEEN CHOPPED INTO JAGGED SKIRTS. COATS AND SHOES ARE CONSTRUCTED IN A PLASTIC SHEARLING THAT TRAILS LOOSE FILAMENTS IN AN OUT-OF-CONTROL HAZE AND SOME COATS HAVE BEEN HAND-PAINTED IN ROUGH THICK BRUSHSTROKES. CHAINS CAN SUGGEST SUBORDINATION BUT THEY CAN ALSO REPRESENT LINKED STRENGTH. HERE THEY ARE DRAPED AND WRAPPED AROUND THE BODY AS STRAPS ON THE SIMPLEST OF RAW CUT PORTFOLIO ZIPPED BAGS IN SOFT SUEDE OR RIGID COWHIDE. FLAGS CAN BE ABOUT UNITY AND PRIDE BUT ALSO DIVISIVENESS... HERE THEY ARE RENDERED AS CAPED PANELS FLOATING OUTWARDS AT THE BACK OF LONG COATS IN SOMBRE WOOL FELTS AND NYLON DUCHESSE. THE SOUNDTRACK IS A REMIX OF ‘ENERGIZE’ BY DJ SPEEDLAP, THE KIND OF 90S TERROR TECHNO I LISTEN TO EVERY DAY AS A SAFETY VALVE TO RELEASE THE IMPATIENCE AND FRUSTRATION THAT ARE THE PERSONAL CYCLES I CAN’T SEEM TO CONTROL, NO MATTER HOW MUCH I SHOULD HAVE LEARNED BETTER TO BY NOW. IF, AFTER ALL MY EFFORTS, I HAVEN’T FOUND A WAY TO ERASE THEM, DOES THAT MEAN THEY SERVE SOME KIND OF PURPOSE? MAKEUP MAC COSMETICS AND SAMMY MOURABIT HAIR DUFFY (STREETERS) PRODUCTION LA MODE EN IMAGES MUSIC ‘ENERGIZE’ BY DJ SPEEDLAP (REMIXED BY JEFF JUDD)