Although fashion is often associated with youth, Rick Owens was actually in his forties when fame came-a-knocking almost two decades ago. Since his runway debut at New York Fashion Week in the early noughties, the designer has continued to develop his signature talents for cutting, draping and creating the sort of beautifully-wearable yet never-boring clothes, sneakers and accessories.

Rick Owens wasn't allowed to watch TV at home until he was 16 years old... instead, the sounds of classical music from the likes of Wagner shook the walls, and classic literature by Karl Huysmans, Confucius, Aristotle and Pierre Loti lined the bookshelves.

Rick Owens met his wife and creative collaborator Michèle Lamy in 90s Los Angeles when he began working for her sportswear line, Lamy, as a pattern cutter. Michèle also ran several très fashionable restaurants/nightclubs, Café des Artistes and Les Deux Cafés, back in the day, which were frequented by the famous likes of Madonna.

Rick Owens described Michèle during an interview with The New Yorker mag as "a mesmerising sphinx. I'm fascinated by someone who acts completely on instinct and feelings, where I'm so pragmatic and sensible and kind of, compared to her, boring and conservative

Rick Owens once noted that Michèle loves heavy machinery and said he was thinking of buying her a crane as a pressie. (Sounds much more giddy than a boring old box of chocs or a bunch of flowers).

Rick Owens and Michèle also work together on the highly distinctive and very spenny Rick Owens furniture line. This comprises of large-sized pieces made from concrete, bronze, foam, leather, marble, alabaster and plywood -- examples of which can be found in the couple's own magnificent abodes, as well as many other people's magnificent abodes.

Rick Owens likes his shows to be about much more than just his latest designs being paraded about on some models. "I like using the runway to express as much positive energy as I can get out there while I'm on Earth," he enthused to GQ.

Rick Owens has admitted he doesn't get too preoccupied by what other designers are doing, instead preferring to look back at his own past work and find new ways to evolve it or improve upon it with each new collection.
Rick Owens is modest yet clearly chuffed to bits with his life as a designer, confirming to The Independent: "I'm lucky because I was in the right place, with the right people, at the right time... I truly love what I'm doing."

Rick Owens is, however, a big fan of the designer Charles James, who, prior to his death in 1978, was one of the most influential womenswear designers of the 20th century. Rick also loves the work of legendary Hollywood costumier Adrian who dressed all the major female film stars in the 1920s and 30s and even designed Judy Garland's ultra-camp sequinned ruby slippers for The Wizard of Oz.