When it comes to clunky boots and blazers at the beach, only Rick Owens could make it work.
The American fashion designer's Spring / Summer 2022 Collection had models literally digging their heels in the sand. Showcased on the scenic Venezia Lido Beach, Owens wanted his last COVID-era show to be intimate and close to home.
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Taking inspiration and materials from all over the world, the collection was liberatingly grounded. The show had a futuristic, heaven-on-Earth mood as silk topcoats, chunky platform heels and monster-shoulder blazers made their way down the sandy catwalk. Sharp outlines were decorated with large yet simple, brutalist chokers.
Contrasting black and white dominated the color palette, embodying the hedonistic concept of the show. Embracing an earthy tone, the collection was made using sustainable materials. From the long, flowy jackets and ripped net-like sweaters, the ethereally-bohemian looks paved the way for individualism and creativity.
“With a post-COVID [world] in view, there might be a sense of frustrated appetites demanding to be doubly satisfied this summer that might make for a voraciousness forgetting the humbling experience we all just went through together,” Owens states in the press release. “This collection embraces hedonism but in a soft, grateful way, reflecting this new period of contradictively trying to mix glam with responsibility and thoughtfulness.”
In addition to the exotic pieces and accessories was the obvious fog. Indeed, Owens titled the show "Fogachine."
"I fixated on the whole fog thing because we are entering a period of celebration," he says. "I just love fog in its ambiguity. It’s got religious overtones, it’s got amyl nitrate overtones, it’s got stadium rock concert overtones ... and they’re all these celebrations of everybody getting together to reach a different level of experience, a different supernatural level.”
Sticking with his environmentally-sustainable values, the "fogachines" emitted non-toxic fog, creating a mysterious trail of smoke behind the models as they walked on the edge of the water.
This angelically-badass production certainly makes a case for a new era of beachwear, but who doesn’t want a classy, care-free, killer look to wear on any given day?
See the full Spring Summer 2022 show and select images below, and read more about the Rick Owens Ready-to-Wear Spring Summer 2022 Collection via Vogue.
Photography by: OWENSCORP
