Backstage with Sonny Vandevelde at Rick Owens Concordians Collection

All photos by Sonnyphotos

Dear Shaded Viewers,

So much to say about this collection but in the end who says it better than the master himself:

NAMING THIS COLLECTION C O N C O R D I A N S , I WAS THINKING ABOUT MY 22 YEARS OF TRAVELING

TO OUR FACTORY IN THIS SMALL INDUSTRIAL ITALIAN TOWN, CONCORDIA. AND NOT JUST

ALONE BUT WITH MY TEAM, ALL TRAVELING FROM THEIR RESPECTIVE GLITTERING CITIES – TO

LIVE HERE IN A KIND OF STUDIOUS ISOLATION. ALMOST BLEAKNESS. THIS CLOISTERED LIFE

SEEMS TO BE WHAT IT TAKES TO BE ABLE TO FOCUS ON REACHING FOR SOMETHING WEIRD

AND WONDERFUL…

THE 1ST YEAR, I STAYED IN A GRAND SUITE IN THE BAGLIONI HOTEL IN BOLOGNA THAT MY

LICENSE AGREEMENT AT THE TIME PAID FOR.

FOR THE NEXT 5 YEARS, I SLEPT ON A COUCH IN MY OFFICE IN THE FACTORY TO IMMERSE

MYSELF IN THE RHYTHM OF AN INDUSTRIAL PRODUCTION SCHEDULE THAT WAS NEW TO ME

AND THAT I NEEDED TO LEARN TO SURVIVE.

THE NEXT 10 YEARS, I STAYED AT THE CONCORDIA HOTEL THAT HAD JUST BEEN BUILT

OVERLOOKING A GAS STATION, IN A NO FRILLS SERIAL KILLER ROOM.

7 YEARS AGO, AN APARTMENT BUILDING WAS CONSTRUCTED ACROSS THE STREET FROM THE

FACTORY AND THAT’S WHERE I HAVE MY CURRENT APARTMENT.

AFTER 20 YEARS OF TRAVELING HERE, I HAVE UPGRADED MY CARRY ON WITH A NEW RIMOWA

COLLABORATION CUSTOMIZED WITH A BRONZED EXTERIOR AND FULLY-LINED IN BLACK

LEATHER. I ASKED RIMOWA TO GIVE ME THE BRONZE OF A RICHARD SERRA WALL AND, BLESS

THEIR HEARTS, THEY DID.

MODELS FOR THIS SHOW WEAR NECKLACES MADE WITH COW FUR LUGGAGE TAGS INCLUDED

WITH EACH CASE.

MOST LOOKS ARE UNDERPINNED WITH THERMAL LONG JOHNS IN A COMPACT FSC CERTIFIED

WOOL/VISCOSE BLEND JERSEY. THERMALS CHANGED MY WHOLE ATTITUDE ABOUT WINTER

WHEN I MOVED TO EUROPE FROM CALIFORNIA…

HEAVYWEIGHT GROPPONE COW LEATHER IS LASER CUT AND WOVEN TOGETHER BY HAND TO

CREATE CHAIN-LINKED SKIRTS AND BOOTS IN A COLLABORATION WITH PARISIAN DESIGNER

VICTOR CLAVELLY, WHO SPECIALIZES IN EXAGGERATING THE BODY IN A WAY I’M ALWAYS ON

THE LOOKOUT FOR.

I HAVE ALSO COLLABED WITH PARISIAN RUBBER MISTRESS MATISSE DI MAGGIO AGAIN, WHO

PROVIDED THE TOPS AND HOODIES WITH ALL OVER FRILLING IN NATURAL RUBBER.

SOME TROUSERS AND SHIRTS ARE MADE IN A HEAVY CROSTA SUEDE WHICH IS DYED BY HAND

WITH NATURAL INDIGO AND WASHED TO ACHIEVE IRREGULAR COLORATION. THIS IS MADE FOR

US BY A TUSCAN TANNERY WITH A LWG GOLD RATING.

DRACUCOLLARED JACKETS AND COATS ARE MADE IN HEAVYWEIGHT VEG TANNED CALF

LEATHER, WHICH IS DRUMMED WITH WAX AND THEN WASHED. ONLY VEGETAL AND NATURAL

TANNINS ARE USED IN THE PROCESS OF TANNING AND PRESERVING THIS LEATHER.

O W E N S C O R P 7 B I S P L A C E D U PA L A I S P R E S S @ R I C KO W E N S . E U F R A N C E

B O U R B O N , 7 5 0 0 7 PA R I S

W W W. R I C KO W E N S . E UPANTS, SHIRTS, AND BAGS ARE CUT FROM BLEACHED LARGE-SCALED ALLIGATOR RESPONSIBLY

SOURCED IN THE U.S.A.

LOOSELY FLARED JEANS ARE EXECUTED IN BRONZE MEGACRUST – LAYERS OF BRONZE FOIL

AND WAX ARE PRESSED ONTO 13OZ DENIM AND WASHED TO CREATE A CRUSTY SURFACE

TEXTURE. ALL OUR DENIM IS TREATED IN AN ITALIAN WASH-HOUSE BASED IN THE VENETO

AREA OF ITALY THAT PRODUCES IN SMALLER TREATMENT BATHS TO REDUCE WATER WASTE

AND UTILIZES A WATER PURIFYING PROCESS THAT ENABLES THEM TO RECYCLE A PORTION OF

THE WATER USED. ALL OF OUR DENIM WASHES ARE ZDHC CERTIFIED.

SHREDDED AND COLLAGED JEANS ARE MADE IN 14OZ ORGANIC JAPANESE INDIGO SLUB DENIM

WOVEN IN THE FUKUYAMA PREFECTURE BY A MILL FOUNDED IN 1893. THESE ARE STONEWASHED

WITH MINERAL DYES TO CREATE OUR SIGNATURE HUSTLER WASH.

WE CONTINUE OUR BONOTTO COLLABORATION WITH CAPES AND COATS ZIPPED AND

HARNESSED IN HOMAGE TO BLIXA BARGELD, THE FRONTMAN OF EINSTÜRZENDE NEUBAUTEN.

HEAVYWEIGHT WOOL MELTON IS MADE USING RWS CERTIFIED VIRGIN WOOL WHICH ENSURES

A HIGH STANDARD IN ANIMAL WELFARE, ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY, AND SOCIAL

RESPONSIBILITY. EACH BALE OF WOOL IS TRACEABLE BACK TO ITS SOURCE.

JACKETS AND COATS ARE CUT IN A BRITISH MÉLANGE WOOL FELT BLENDED WITH KEMP, ALSO

KNOWN AS DEAD HAIR. KEMP FIBERS ARE NATURAL TO SOME SHEEP BREEDS AND DO NOT

TAKE DYE WHICH CREATES THE NATURAL MÉLANGE COLORATION ONCE DYED.

FACTORY BOOTS RECREATE THE HEIGHT AND INCLINATION OF OUR KISS BOOTS BUT WITH AN

EXTRA STABLE INDUSTRIAL SOLE FOR STEADY FOOTING ON FACTORY STAIRS.

THE SOUNDTRACK IS BOWIE’S HEROES – THE FRENCH, GERMAN, AND ENGLISH VERSIONS,

WHICH WE WON’T LEGALLY BE ABLE TO USE ON YOUTUBE BUT IS THE CONSTANT SUBLIMINAL

SOUNDTRACK TO A LOT OF OUR LIVES. WHAT YOU LISTEN TO ON YOUR EARBUDS IN AN EMPTY

VILLAGE TRAIN STATION ON A COLD FOGGY NIGHT ON YOUR WAY SOMEWHERE TO WORK ON

A WEIRD AND WONDERFUL FUTURE.

AND GIVE ME A WEEK OR A MONTH, I CAN FIT EVERYTHING I NEED IN A CARRY ON… I CAN

NEED LESS BUT MAKE CHOICES COUNT MORE. I WANT TO DEPEND ON LESS THINGS BUT MAKE

THEM AS SUPERNATURAL AS POSSIBLE.

CASTING

STYLING

HAIR

MAKEUP

PRODUCTION

MUSIC

ANGUS MUNRO (CLM)

TYRONE DYLAN SUSMAN

DUFFY (STREETERS)

MAC COSMETICS AND DANIEL SALLSTROM (MA WORLD GROUP)

LA MODE EN IMAGES

‘HEROES’ BY DAVID BOWIE MIXED BY JEFF JUDD

O W

mm
Diane Pernet

A LEGENDARY FIGURE IN FASHION and a pioneer of blogging, Diane is a respected journalist, critic, curator and talent-hunter based in Paris. During her prolific career, she designed her own successful brand in New York, costume designer, photographer, and filmmaker.