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thursday, september 26, 2024

palais de tokyo, paris

our last show showed an "army of love in white silk satin," a reflection on my realization that last season's show, held in my home, could only accommodate a small audience. the original intention was to respect the environment of today's war, but it ended up being an exclusive arrangement.

i once again invited students and staff from all fashion schools in paris to walk the show as an expression of solidarity.

also participating were members of the owenscorp team and some old friends who i admire for practicing their own aesthetics wholeheartedly and generously, such as hannah dalton from fecal matter, artist baybjane, photographer kristina nagel, and others from new york to paris allanah starr, a prominent figure in the transgender community.

last season’s collection, porterville, was named after the judgmental town i had to escape from. this season's collection is called "hollywood" and is inspired by the sinful avenue that i happily run down, where i find my kindred spirits - the weirdos and outliers. they lived in the world described in lou reed's song "walk on the wild side," and i looked for those fiery creatures i'd seen in jack smith and kenneth anger movies. or ken russel, and i always cite the lost hollywood of pre-code era black-and-white biblical epic films, a blend of art deco, lurid sin and a redemptive morality.

the tough tailoring becomes transparent and delicate in silk chiffon and tulle, made into a cape, and the bottoms are paired with distressed denim shorts, and this season's "deflated version" inflatable boots collaborated with london designer straytukay, with additional calves. the plywood is used and appears repeatedly in many sets of styles.

flowing capes or giant pleated ring shawls are also made from silk chiffon woven in the como region of italy. the use of organic silk certified by the global organic textile standard (gots) means that this natural fiber does not contain harmful substances in the production process. chemicals. soft hooded robes in satin and lightweight jersey are made from cupro, a biodegradable, 100% plant-based fiber sourced from cotton waste that would otherwise be thrown away.

the black robe is from the fina collection, designed by dafne balatsos, who i have worked with for 25 years. for the first five years, the studio was just the two of us and one tailor. part of her job at that time was to go to the oriental silk shop on beverly boulevard in hollywood and buy meters of silk to fill our small orders because i could only afford a few meters at a time. the oriental silk shop is a quiet, well-organized, sandalwood-scented shop run by a taciturn and serious brother and sister who were very kind to us. a few years ago, when dafne learned that oriental silk stores was closing, we tracked down their remaining inventory and have been making beautiful robes and nightgowns for us and licensing them for sale in our u.s. retail stores.

zip-up jackets and coats in crisp cotton and recycled polyester canvas. the canvases are woven on vintage narrow looms as part of our ongoing collaboration with bonott. this textile factory located at the foot of the alps in the veneto region was founded in 1912 and has developed into its fourth generation.

hooded biker jackets with padded shoulders are available in cropped and oversized styles, made from vegetable-tanned sheepskin from the solovra region of italy or giant american alligator leather tanned in italy.

knitted gowns made of golden merino wool in sandy gray or metallic gold colors are another collaboration with tanja vidic, a knitwear designer from slovenia. her diy knitwear is the most imaginative i have ever seen.

the gown is cut from denim with mottled gold plating. all of our denim is processed in a laundry factory in the veneto region of italy, which reduces water waste through smaller treatment tanks and uses a water purification process that allows it to recycle part of the water used. all of our denim washes are zero discharge of chemicals (zdhc) certified.

our black leather art deco crowns are made in collaboration with paris-based milliner coco lucquaid.

while it’s important to express our individuality, sometimes it’s also necessary to embrace what we have in common, especially in the face of the extreme intolerance the world is experiencing today.