Rick Owens Gives a Rare Look Inside His Incredible Paris Studio

Rick Owens is giving people a glimpse inside his Paris studio space.

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Complex Original

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The chance to get inside the workspace of someone as interesting and enigmatic as Rick Owens is a real treat, and the New York Times is giving us that opportunity with the latest installment of its “In The Studio” series. Sitting down with the legendary publication in his sprawling yet minimal space in Paris’ Seventh Arrondissement, the designer offers some amazing insight into his workspace and how it affects his creative output.

While Owens used to “thrive on chaos,” he admits that as he gets older he needs physical emptiness in order to help frame and organize his thoughts and workflow. “That’s why it’s kind of a white page,” he tells the NYT of his space, “because everything needs to have a lot of space around it, because that’s the luxury of being able to enjoy focusing on things.”

When Owens took over the space 12 years ago, it was inhabited by plain office cubicles—“drop acoustical tile ceilings with fluorescent lights and carpeting and wallpaper”—which were promptly ripped out. Owens and his team were shocked to find “the most amazing concrete bones” underneath, an unexpected surprise that Owens refers to as discovering “the bunker of our dreams.” Owens adds that he is inspired by the consistency of architecture, and that he finds it “reassuring” to see something so defined and eternal.

Another interesting insight is Owens’ revelation that he doesn’t like mood boards, often used by designers to illustrate the style or mood surrounding a particular collection. “I don’t want everyone to know what my composition is about and where my references came from,” he says plainly, explaining that he likes to force himself to draw upon memories versus visual examples.

Check out the video above and read the full interview here for more awesome Rick Owens insights.

[via New York Times]

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