Rick Owens' Apocalyptic Fashion
Rick Owens' Fall/Winter 2026 collection at Paris Fashion Week is noted for its "apocalyptic allure," combining sculptural silhouettes with a futuristic edge. The show highlighted his signature avant-garde approach to streetwear and urban fashion.
The Fall/Winter 2026 collection, titled "TOWER," was presented in a smoke-flooded chamber at the Palais de Tokyo in Paris. The name is an abbreviation for “Temple of Love, Tower of Light,” which Owens described as a hopeful prayer for the future. A key inspiration for the collection was the life of German-American actress Marlene Dietrich and her moral resistance during World War II. Owens translated her story of courage into a protective wardrobe, featuring towering silhouettes and exaggerated collars that transformed models into architectural forms of defiance. The collection featured materials designed for armor and insulation, including Kevlar, a material five times stronger than steel, used in sheath dresses. Owens also utilized heavy gloss leathers, thick Japanese cowhides for modular jackets, and raw Himalayan wool felt. In a nod to a swansdown coat Dietrich wore, the show closed with colossal coats made from long goat hair in candy colors, reinterpreted in Owens' brutalist style. Other notable pieces included massively oversized "police boots" and strapless leather column dresses. The show's otherworldly look was enhanced by collaborations with specialized artists. Brazilian artist Bernardo Martins (@figa.link) created the alien-like beauty looks with elven ears and claw-like nails, while Lucas Moretti designed intricate macramé masks, each requiring 30 hours of labor to complete.
