Rick Owens goes full throttle with whatever he does. Take his much talked-about spring 2014 Paris Fashion Week show, where the American-born designer sent a step dance team down the runway instead of models. His new collaboration with Selfridges, a chain of high-end department stores in the UK, is also promising to be a wild experience when it opens on Sept. 1.
The World of Rick Owens, as the installation is being called, is the "biggest single designer concept that Selfridges has initiated," according to Sebastian Manes, Selfridges' buying director. The installation will include a concept boutique, a temporary women's wear shop on the retailer's first floor, a permanent men's space also on the first floor, and four window displays that were inspired by Richard Strauss' opera "Salome," a constant influence on Owens' work. There will also be a 20-piece limited edition collection of Rick Owens and DRKSHDW, which includes leather jackets, T-shirts, crewneck sweaters, bandanas, and sneakers, all for sale in Selfridges’ online store and in the retailer's Manchester and Birmingham locations. The final stamp on the endeavor is a 25-foot statue of Owens, made in collaboration with Doug Jennings, who's made similar pieces for Owens' stores, that will sit atop Selfridges' Oxford Street location.
Owens carefully considered everything that's included in the installation. The concept boutique in Selfridges' Wonder Room will have books, music, and furniture chosen by Owens and intended to be reflective of his work. “It’s a desert island selection—what are the things that would be the most important to me to carry into my burial pyramid or something,” he told WWD. “It’s the music that inspired me, the books that moved me [and] the art that I’m fascinated with, old and new.” Artworks by Georges Hoentschel from New York’s Jason Jacques Gallery, pieces from Owens' furniture line, vinyl records of Iggy Pop, David Bowie, and Klaus Nomi's music, and singer Jayne County’s autobiography, “Man Enough to Be a Woman” are just some of the highlights of what will live in the concept store.
If this doesn't make you travel across the pond, we're not sure what will. The installation will be open from Sept. 1 until Oct. 24.
[via WWD]
