TEMPLE OF LOVE

The Palais Galliera presents the first-ever Parisian exhibition dedicated to Rick Owens, a leading figure of contemporary avant-garde fashion.

Temple of Love takes visitors on a journey through the designer’s work, from his early days in Los Angeles to his latest collections. Fascinated by the sacred, Owens unveils the many references that shape his universe from Joris-Karl Huysmans to modern and contemporary art, as well as the great Hollywood films of the early 20th century. As artistic director of the exhibition, he has designed an unprecedented scenography that extends to the museum’s façade and gardens.

TEMPLE OF LOVE

The Palais Galliera presents the first-ever Parisian exhibition dedicated to Rick Owens, a leading figure of contemporary avant-garde fashion.

Temple of Love takes visitors on a journey through the designer’s work, from his early days in Los Angeles to his latest collections. Fascinated by the sacred, Owens unveils the many references that shape his universe from Joris-Karl Huysmans to modern and contemporary art, as well as the great Hollywood films of the early 20th century. As artistic director of the exhibition, he has designed an unprecedented scenography that extends to the museum’s façade and gardens.

  • An Autobiographical Vision

    Born in California in 1961, Rick Owens began as a pattern maker in Los Angeles before launching his own label in 1992. Inspired by underground cultures and the glamour of 1930s fashion, his creations stood out for their sophisticated structures. With limited resources, he repurposed all kinds of materials: T-shirt jerseys, military bags, army blankets, and washed leather were transformed into dresses and jackets. Black, muted tones, and a particular shade of gray, nicknamed “dust,” became his signatures. “The clothes I create are my autobiography. They are the quiet elegance I aspire to and the damage I have caused along the way. They are the expression of tenderness and a rampaging ego. They are adolescent idealization and its inevitable defeat.”

  • An Autobiographical Vision

    Born in California in 1961, Rick Owens began as a pattern maker in Los Angeles before launching his own label in 1992. Inspired by underground cultures and the glamour of 1930s fashion, his creations stood out for their sophisticated structures. With limited resources, he repurposed all kinds of materials: T-shirt jerseys, military bags, army blankets, and washed leather were transformed into dresses and jackets. Black, muted tones, and a particular shade of gray, nicknamed “dust,” became his signatures. “The clothes I create are my autobiography. They are the quiet elegance I aspire to and the damage I have caused along the way. They are the expression of tenderness and a rampaging ego. They are adolescent idealization and its inevitable defeat.”

  • Los Angeles

    In California, Rick Owens developed the intellectual, artistic, historical, and mystical influences at the core of his style. Raised under strict Catholic education by his father, he became fascinated by biblical stories and rare works, from late 19th-century French literature to early Hollywood classics. Arriving in Los Angeles in 1980, he immersed himself in the city’s nightlife and multiplied his experiences, as HIV devastated his generation. By the early 1990s, his first pieces reflected this reality. His silhouettes, inspired by the sophisticated fashion of the 1930s, used reclaimed and faded materials, “as if worn down by vice and abuse.” Owens’s singular vision embodied by his partner Michèle Lamy and his technical mastery soon drew attention. In 2002, he presented his first show in New York, before moving to Paris the following year.

  • Paris

    In 2003, a contract with the house of Revillon and the production of his pieces in Italy convinced Owens to settle permanently in Paris. His creations, whether aggressive or opulent, were often compared to brutalist architecture. His shows became increasingly spectacular. From 2013 onwards, his collections acquired a moral dimension. In response to the normalization of intolerance in the West and inaction toward climate change, he exaggerated the proportions of his silhouettes, turning them into sculptural statements of protest. In 2020, during the pandemic, he presented his collections in Italy, near his factories. Owens reflected on history and the passage of time, calling for humility in the face of “man’s own insignificance.” Upon his return, new, more intimate inspirations emerged. An unexpected tenderness infused his collections—an ode to love and tolerance as an ultimate act of defiance.

  • The Joy of Decadence

    In the 1980s, Owens explored Los Angeles’s underground scene, discovering diverse sexual practices, drugs, and alcohol. Sober since 2001, he adopted a strict lifestyle, using his past experiences to defy conservatism. Fully aware of moralistic intolerance, he challenged society’s hypocrisy, where violence is omnipresent. His approach is a memento mori: a reminder of human vanity and life’s fragility. With humor, his visual universe embraced transgression with “Detached nonchalance.” He also supported these “Joyfully depraved creatures,” the provocative artists he admired as a child, such as David Bowie’s Ziggy Stardust. Though shocking to some, Owens insists that his imagery is rooted in “Kindness and Love.” Due to its brutal and sexually explicit nature, some works may disturb visitors. Admission is not recommended for minors.

  • The Paradox of the Sexes

    Owens designed menswear from his early days but only began showing men’s collections regularly in Paris in 2009. Two paradoxical aesthetics emerged: the noble, stoic aura of women’s silhouettes contrasted with the raw energy of menswear. “I love graceful, elegant shapes, while also being as barbaric and raw as possible.”

  • Los Angeles

    In California, Rick Owens developed the intellectual, artistic, historical, and mystical influences at the core of his style. Raised under strict Catholic education by his father, he became fascinated by biblical stories and rare works, from late 19th-century French literature to early Hollywood classics. Arriving in Los Angeles in 1980, he immersed himself in the city’s nightlife and multiplied his experiences, as HIV devastated his generation. By the early 1990s, his first pieces reflected this reality. His silhouettes, inspired by the sophisticated fashion of the 1930s, used reclaimed and faded materials, “as if worn down by vice and abuse.” Owens’s singular vision embodied by his partner Michèle Lamy and his technical mastery soon drew attention. In 2002, he presented his first show in New York, before moving to Paris the following year.

  • Paris

    In 2003, a contract with the house of Revillon and the production of his pieces in Italy convinced Owens to settle permanently in Paris. His creations, whether aggressive or opulent, were often compared to brutalist architecture. His shows became increasingly spectacular. From 2013 onwards, his collections acquired a moral dimension. In response to the normalization of intolerance in the West and inaction toward climate change, he exaggerated the proportions of his silhouettes, turning them into sculptural statements of protest. In 2020, during the pandemic, he presented his collections in Italy, near his factories. Owens reflected on history and the passage of time, calling for humility in the face of “man’s own insignificance.” Upon his return, new, more intimate inspirations emerged. An unexpected tenderness infused his collections—an ode to love and tolerance as an ultimate act of defiance.

  • The Joy of Decadence

    In the 1980s, Owens explored Los Angeles’s underground scene, discovering diverse sexual practices, drugs, and alcohol. Sober since 2001, he adopted a strict lifestyle, using his past experiences to defy conservatism. Fully aware of moralistic intolerance, he challenged society’s hypocrisy, where violence is omnipresent. His approach is a memento mori: a reminder of human vanity and life’s fragility. With humor, his visual universe embraced transgression with “Detached nonchalance.” He also supported these “Joyfully depraved creatures,” the provocative artists he admired as a child, such as David Bowie’s Ziggy Stardust. Though shocking to some, Owens insists that his imagery is rooted in “Kindness and Love.” Due to its brutal and sexually explicit nature, some works may disturb visitors. Admission is not recommended for minors.

  • The Paradox of the Sexes

    Owens designed menswear from his early days but only began showing men’s collections regularly in Paris in 2009. Two paradoxical aesthetics emerged: the noble, stoic aura of women’s silhouettes contrasted with the raw energy of menswear. “I love graceful, elegant shapes, while also being as barbaric and raw as possible.”

  • Brutalism

    By the late 2000s, critics frequently compared Owens’s creations to brutalist architecture. Born after World War II, this style emphasized raw concrete and monumental geometric forms. Owens also translated this aesthetic into furniture, launching his own line in 2005. “My favorite photography book is Bunker Archeology by Paul Virilio. He documented Second World War blockhouses on the French Atlantic coast after the war. These abandoned concrete shapes remind me of alien Bauhaus temples. I like to think my clothes belong there.”

  • Corporality

    From 2014 to 2016, Owens presented three major collections that acted as social and cultural statements through the body exposed, challenged, celebrated. The Vicious show (Spring/Summer 2014) integrated stepping, an African-American dance where the body becomes percussion. Through it, Owens evoked racial struggle and celebrated women’s empowerment. The raw, powerful performance broke runway conventions, turning the catwalk into political theater. With Sphinx (Fall/Winter 2015–2016), he went further, exposing male nudity to confront body objectification and denounce the dominance of the patriarchal gaze. Finally, Cyclops (Spring/Summer 2016) celebrated sisterhood with pairs of dancers and gymnasts carrying one another. This choreography evoked motherhood, regeneration, and female solidarity, and was interpreted by some as a metaphor for migrant crises a gesture of protection and mutual support. These three emblematic moments confirmed Owens’s intent to use fashion as a social and political language, where the garment sometimes became secondary to the power of the body.

  • Brutalism

    By the late 2000s, critics frequently compared Owens’s creations to brutalist architecture. Born after World War II, this style emphasized raw concrete and monumental geometric forms. Owens also translated this aesthetic into furniture, launching his own line in 2005. “My favorite photography book is Bunker Archeology by Paul Virilio. He documented Second World War blockhouses on the French Atlantic coast after the war. These abandoned concrete shapes remind me of alien Bauhaus temples. I like to think my clothes belong there.”

  • Corporality

    From 2014 to 2016, Owens presented three major collections that acted as social and cultural statements through the body exposed, challenged, celebrated. The Vicious show (Spring/Summer 2014) integrated stepping, an African-American dance where the body becomes percussion. Through it, Owens evoked racial struggle and celebrated women’s empowerment. The raw, powerful performance broke runway conventions, turning the catwalk into political theater. With Sphinx (Fall/Winter 2015–2016), he went further, exposing male nudity to confront body objectification and denounce the dominance of the patriarchal gaze. Finally, Cyclops (Spring/Summer 2016) celebrated sisterhood with pairs of dancers and gymnasts carrying one another. This choreography evoked motherhood, regeneration, and female solidarity, and was interpreted by some as a metaphor for migrant crises a gesture of protection and mutual support. These three emblematic moments confirmed Owens’s intent to use fashion as a social and political language, where the garment sometimes became secondary to the power of the body.

  • Sculptural Confrontation

    In 2016, as studies exposed the fashion industry’s ecological impact and Donald Trump rose to power, Owens hardened his stance. He reduced his environmental footprint and turned his silhouettes into sculptural acts of protest: “Years ago, I swore I would never show on the runway pieces I considered hard to wear. But things change. Showing beautiful clothes is no longer enough.”

  • Tenderness

    By the late 2010s, Owens shifted from anger to tenderness an almost political gesture. He paid tribute to cherished figures: a late designer, his mother, and his Mixtec roots, an Indigenous people of Mexico, just as the U.S. was erecting a wall along its southern border. This gentleness came with a newfound mastery of vibrant dyes and colors. During the 2020 lockdown, he retreated to Italy with his team, presenting his collections on the beach of the Lido in Venice, where he lives part of the year. His work, increasingly intimate, resonated as a call for decency, tolerance, and love.

  • The Bedroom

    The final room of the exhibition recreates Rick Owens and Michèle Lamy’s bedroom and wardrobe in their Las Palmas Avenue studio in Los Angeles. The bed, designed by Owens, was one of his first furniture creations. The shelves are filled with the couple’s personal books, the only belongings they brought with them to Paris. Owens’s daily life follows strict rituals: weight training, an obligatory post-lunch nap, and every morning, a black-and-white film played silently while he overlays it with classical music, just like the ones his father used to play in their Porterville home.

  • The Museum Extended Outdoors

    For the first time, a Palais Galliera exhibition spills beyond the museum walls. Three monumental silhouettes, the Sisters of Mercy, inspired by his capes, pay tribute to Parisian statuary. The garden has been redesigned with dark foliage and blue morning glories, a wildflower dear to Owens since his Californian childhood. Thirty cement sculptures (Prongs), inspired by his brutalist furniture, punctuate the park. Owens also oversaw the artistic direction of the museum’s seasonal restaurant, Les Petites Mains. Through this monumental staging, Temple of Love transforms the Palais Galliera into a temple devoted to creation, love, and difference.

  • Sculptural Confrontation

    In 2016, as studies exposed the fashion industry’s ecological impact and Donald Trump rose to power, Owens hardened his stance. He reduced his environmental footprint and turned his silhouettes into sculptural acts of protest: “Years ago, I swore I would never show on the runway pieces I considered hard to wear. But things change. Showing beautiful clothes is no longer enough.”

  • Tenderness

    By the late 2010s, Owens shifted from anger to tenderness an almost political gesture. He paid tribute to cherished figures: a late designer, his mother, and his Mixtec roots, an Indigenous people of Mexico, just as the U.S. was erecting a wall along its southern border. This gentleness came with a newfound mastery of vibrant dyes and colors. During the 2020 lockdown, he retreated to Italy with his team, presenting his collections on the beach of the Lido in Venice, where he lives part of the year. His work, increasingly intimate, resonated as a call for decency, tolerance, and love.

  • The Bedroom

    The final room of the exhibition recreates Rick Owens and Michèle Lamy’s bedroom and wardrobe in their Las Palmas Avenue studio in Los Angeles. The bed, designed by Owens, was one of his first furniture creations. The shelves are filled with the couple’s personal books, the only belongings they brought with them to Paris. Owens’s daily life follows strict rituals: weight training, an obligatory post-lunch nap, and every morning, a black-and-white film played silently while he overlays it with classical music, just like the ones his father used to play in their Porterville home.

  • The Museum Extended Outdoors

    For the first time, a Palais Galliera exhibition spills beyond the museum walls. Three monumental silhouettes, the Sisters of Mercy, inspired by his capes, pay tribute to Parisian statuary. The garden has been redesigned with dark foliage and blue morning glories, a wildflower dear to Owens since his Californian childhood. Thirty cement sculptures (Prongs), inspired by his brutalist furniture, punctuate the park. Owens also oversaw the artistic direction of the museum’s seasonal restaurant, Les Petites Mains. Through this monumental staging, Temple of Love transforms the Palais Galliera into a temple devoted to creation, love, and difference.

INFORMATION

RICK OWENS, Temple of Love
28.06.25 – 04.01.26

PALAIS GALLIERA, PARIS FASHION MUSEUM
10, avenue Pierre Ier de Serbie, Paris 16th

https://www.palaisgalliera.paris.fr/expositions/rick-owens-temple-love

CREDITS

Image 1 - Rizzoli Rick Owens Temple of Love book cover ©Owenscorp
Image 2 - Portrait de Rick Owens ©Danielle Levitt
Image 3 - Tyrone, Collection Hommes Strombe Automne-Hiver 2022 ©Danielle Levitt
Image 4 - Molly, Collection Femmes Sphinx, Automne-Hiver 2015, Palais de Tokyo, Paris, 5 mars 2015 ©Owenscorp
Image 5 - Autoportrait, Las Palmas Ave, 2002 ©Owenscorp
Image 6 - Essayages pour la Collection Hommes Babel, Printemps-Été 2019, Palais Bourbon, Paris, 19 juin 2018 ©Owenscorp
Image 7 - ©Paris Musées / Palais Galliera / Léa Gaspin