RICK OWENS SS20 WOMENS - TECUATL (LIVE STREAM)

NAMED AFTER MY GRANDMOTHER’S MIXTEC MAIDEN NAME. I NEVER REALLY EXPLORED MY MEXICAN-NESS BUT THE DEBATE OVER A BORDER WALL MADE ME MORE CONSCIOUS OF WHO I WOULD BE SEPARATED FROM. WHEN I WAS A KID, MY DAD WOULD DRAG MY MOM AND ME TO A RUN-DOWN MEXICAN MOVIE THEATRE IN OUR SMALL TOWN THAT CATERED TO THE MIGRANT FARM WORKERS WHO POPULATED OUR AREA... HE WAS WHITE AND MOM WAS MEXICAN AND HE WORKED IN THE PORTERVILLE PUBLIC COURT SYSTEM AS A SPANISH TO ENGLISH TRANSLATOR DEFENDING THE WORKERS RIGHTS. MARÍA FÉLIX WAS THE DIETRICH OF MEXICAN CINEMA AND USUALLY PLAYED A STRONG AND DEFIANT WOMAN IN A MALE DOMINATED SOCIETY. IRL, SHE LATER MOVED TO PARIS AND AMASSED A LEGENDARY CARTIER JEWELRY COLLECTION. I ASKED TECHNO WIZARD GAGE TO DO A CUSTOM RUNWAY MIX USING HER VOCALS FROM A SONG FROM ONE OF THOSE MOVIES, REPEATING THE PHRASE “CORAZON, TU DIRAS LO QUE HACEMOS” ... MY HEART, YOU DECIDE WHAT WE DO... AFTER LEAVING THE BAUHAUS AND GERMANY IN THE 1930S, JOSEF AND ANNI ALBERS EXPLORED ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITES IN MEXICO. THEIR REDUCTIVE MODERNISM APPLIED TO PYRAMIDS AND HIEROGLYPHICS IS A PRECEDENT TO THE LINEAR MOTIFS USED HERE IN SHOULDER STRAPS ON DRESSES AND MEGA-LACING ON DUCHESSE BOMBERS... KNIT DRESSES ALSO TRACE THE BODY IN GEOMETRIC PLANES AND LINES, SLASHED TO REVEAL THE BODY BRAZENLY OR VEILED WITH THE THINNEST COTTON T-SHIRTS. LUIS BARRAGÁN’S SATURATED BLASTS OF STRONG HUES INFORM THE COLOR STORY — PINK, YELLOW, WHITE, BLACK, RED — CRISP, UNCOMPLICATED, STRAIGHTFORWARD, AND UNASHAMEDLY EARNEST. I ASKED MASK ARTISANS WINTERCROFT TO SCULPT METALLIC ALIEN AZTEC CROWNS THAT MIGHT HAVE COME FROM A FRITZ LANG MOVIE. THEY ARE WORN WITH OUR NEW SUNGLASS SHAPE THAT REMINDS ME OF THE EAST L.A. LOWRIDERS I REMEMBER FROM MY YOUTH THERE. DOES THAT CULTURE STILL FLOURISH? I DON’T KNOW, HAVEN’T BEEN BACK TO L.A. IN 18 YEARS... I CONTINUE WITH A SHARP-SHOULDERED SILHOUETTE, AT TIMES COVERED IN BRIGHT SEQUINS LIKE THE FOLKLORIC CHINA POBLANA SKIRTS MY MOM WORE IN CHURCH PAGEANTS GROWING UP IN PUEBLA, MEXICO. BLAZERS AND OVERSHIRTS HAVE INTEGRATED STRAPS TO PEEL THEM OFF AND WEAR BUCKLED AROUND THE HIPS ON THE DANCE FLOOR. THERE IS ALSO FOLKLORIC VOLUME IN MANTLES AND COATS THAT ARE SIMPLE AND OVERSIZED IN SMOOTH, TURBO-STUDDED SILK OR DELIRIOUSLY MEGA-PLEATED IN STURDY, COLORFUL MATTE COTTONS. FABRICS INCLUDE MY FAVORITE COTTON CANVASES, THIS TIME COATED IN A BEETLE WING IRIDESCENCE, COTTON DUCHESSE, SILK CREPES, AND GLITTERY GLOW-MESH (!). THE BROKEN STRIPE I OFTEN REPEAT IS HERE RENDERED AS THE TRADITIONAL MEXICAN REBOZO. PLATFORM BOOTS HAVE BEEN STRETCHED INTO A FUTURISTIC COWBOY BOOT SHAPE WITH A CLEAR HEEL. AND THE UBIQUITOUS BUM BAG HAS BEEN TWISTED INTO A SCULPTURAL FLOURISH JUTTING OUT AT THE PELVIS. A FLEET OF BUBBLE ARTISTS JOIN US TO FILL THE SPACE WITH SMALL AND JUMBO BUBBLES GIVING THE AFFAIR A BUCOLIC LIGHTHEARTEDNESS I ASSOCIATE WITH THE MEXICO I USED TO KNOW. STOIC BAUHAUS AZTEC PRIESTESSES IN AN ART DECO VALHALLA FILLED WITH BUBBLES ANIMATED BY FANTASIA ERA DISNEY... CASTING AM CASTING (CLM) MAKEUP KARIM RAHMAN (OPEN TALENT PARIS) HAIR DUFFY (STREETERS) PRODUCTION LA MODE EN IMAGES MUSIC EXCLUSIVE MIX BY GAGE FEATURING POBRE CORAZÓN BY MARÍA FÉLIX