Rick Owens on Controversy and Adolescence

Rick Owens is dressed in layered black jersey t-shirts, drop crotch shorts and sneakers (unlaced), all of his own making. For the uninitiated the latter are the seven-league boots of high-tops: tall and immense of tongue, they reach to mid calf. The effect is of sportswear pushed to the point where it is heroic: gladiatorial. The designer is looking more bronzed and buff even than is usual, especially given that the location is Paris and it’s late November. He has just returned from a trip…