Paris Fashion Week: Rick Owens’ dramatic spring/summer 2023 menswear show had everything from fire and neon to bare chests and a leather made from Brazilian fish scales

Jun 28 , 2022

A model presents a creation during the Rick Owens menswear spring/summer 2023 show, as part of Paris Fashion Week, in Paris, on June 23. Photo: AFP

The American designer showed off his usual grungy, glamorous style via semi-transparent, billowing looks featuring cut-outs and shimmering metallic colours

Shown at the Palais de Tokyo, the collection also employed sustainable materials in a bid to counteract the fashion industry’s dismal environmental record

Under a blazing sun in the courtyard of the Palais de Tokyo in Paris, US designer Rick Owens put on a typically arresting display.

A model dons a sheer, hot pink shroud during the Rick Owens menswear spring/summer 2023 show, as part of Paris Fashion Week, in Paris, on June 23. Photo: AFP

Neon hues clashed to stunning effect at Rick Owens’ menswear spring/summer 2023 show, as part of Paris Fashion Week, in Paris, on June 23. Photo: AFP

It featured three giant spheres being set on fire, hoisted up by a crane and then dropped into the vast pool in the art centre’s fountain.

Rick Owens’ menswear spring/summer 2023 show took place in the courtyard of the Palais de Tokyo in Paris, as part of Paris Fashion Week, on June 23. Photo: AFP

A metallic, futuristic look with billowing pants at Rick Owens’ menswear spring/summer 2023 show, as part of Paris Fashion Week, in Paris, on June 23. Photo: AFP

As for the clothes, there were the trademark exaggerated shoulders and grungy glamour, but with some lighter touches in the form of transparent and billowing fabrics.

A sheer white tunic is layered over a white shirt and dark hued pants at Rick Owens’ menswear spring/summer 2023 show, as part of Paris Fashion Week, in Paris, on June 23. Photo: AFP

He described it as a metaphor for a world “disturbed by war and constant online stone throwing” in the show notes.