The COVID Alien
Rick Owens RTW Spring/ Summer 2021
This season was all about shapes, colors, and attempting to tell the future for Rick Owens, who seemingly tried to turn modern dressers into an extraterrestrial beings.
Someone call up Grime’s stylist… because let’s face it, some of these looks were practically made for her. Aside from the endless edgy celebrities out there right now that are not only going to hop on this collection but recreate the trends for themselves, we know these head to toe looks scored high points in the creative department for fashion week’s Spring/ Summer 2021 Ready-to-Wear runway shows.
Taking a simpler approach to what went into the runway production itself allowed the collection to speak higher volumes. During the show we see minimal backdrops and basic, bright lighting to really allow the few pops of color throughout the collection to shine. Scattered between neutral blacks and whites, Owens threw in some brighter colors like yellow, pink, and red.
We see a lot of trends surfacing that we may not have seen before… at least not done in the same way that Owen’s did it this season. Part of being a designer is taking inspiration not only from the past and present, but to innovate and create entirely new designs that are what the future of fashion can become. Season after season that is what Owen’s does. By attempting to foresee the future of who we will become, he also dips his toes in conversation about where the direction of the world is going and why continuing to design face coverings is essential during the times we live in.
Owen’s himself was heard saying this collection was essentially a “middle finger up to doom.” What he meant by this was not only that disaster will probably continue to happen as we enter an age of an ongoing pandemic, climate change, and distrust of our government and police. Those thoughts aside, that doesn’t mean human beings don't deserve the chance to attempt to fight those things off. These clothes give off a sense that they are to help the wearer into battle.
We continue to see trends telling stories. As viewers struggle to find meaningful relationships in their current day-to-day, fashion can work as both an escape and as a shield to protect you from harm. In the next coming years we are going to see designers playing with futuristic approaches to street style and RTW as Owens did here, and are entering an era where clothing means much more to buyers than it used to. The world is changing before our very eyes.
Throughout the collection we see a mix of hard and soft fabrics styled out with over the top sunglasses and boots that go so high they almost covered the entire leg of the model. By combining a variety of knits and leathers, Owens allowed for an extremely wearable set of versatile garments that can be worn separately in endless scenarios. This aspect to a RTW collection is crucial in the continued work from home life we see ourselves continuing into until the foreseeable future.
Owens also played with shapes this season, taking a whole new perspective on modern design. First off, let’s discuss the big shoulders on the garments. This addition to the construction adds a power stance to the wearer, something that should bring confidence and strength. This is only one of the ways this collection exhibits how it could be an armor of sorts to step into a war zone. Other stiff shapes layered on top of tighter, more sexy shorts and underwear pieces mimic a sheild and turn the attention away from shaping the model’s body to sending out a message and telling a story about a prediction of what the future can be.
