Rick Owens, CFDA Lifetime Achievement Award winner, "Dark" business

For many years, the industry has referred to Rick Owens as the most successful designer to commercialize the “dark” style. At the CFDA awards ceremony just concluded this week, the honor of the GeoffreyBeenee Lifetime Achievement Award will once again push Rick Owens to the eye-catching position of public opinion.

The winners of previous lifetime achievement awards are not very large, including Norma Kamali in 2016, Betsey Johnson in 2015, Tom Ford in 2014, and Vera Wang in 2013, but the weight of the award is still not to be underestimated. Rick Owens, 55, has maintained a low-key style in the fashion industry for many years, but he is undoubtedly a change in the industry, especially the "dark" style that has risen in recent years.

Rick Owens's design performance and "bold avant-garde fashion", human acrobatics and other show gimmicks often conceal the brand's commercial success, and how Rick Owens relies on the concept of "dark" style among consumers. Popular, how to make the sneaker business generate revenue for the brand, and how to remain private for many years without being invaded by any big group, these issues have been discussed very little. Of course, the most important question is how does Rick Owens achieve commercial success?

Is the "dark" style a marketing concept?

Strictly speaking, in the European and American markets with a longer fashion history, there is no concept corresponding to the “dark” style, and the closer is the Gothic style. The “dark” style generally refers to a fashion brand that uses dark shades such as black as the main color system, emphasizing the design through fabrics, craftsmanship and other details rather than explicit design elements, relatively low-key but expensive. Representative brands include Rick Owens, MaisonMargiela, DamirDoma, Carol Christian Poell, Gareth Pugh, BorisBidjan Saberi, and even some of China's Uma Wang are also classified as "dark". Rick Owens is known to more people for its commercial success.

According to a feature article in GQ China that analyzes the “dark” style, the “dark” style is actually a promotion concept developed in China along with the Internet and retail terminals. Starting from a certain point of time, some high-end consumers with purchasing power turned to the more understated “dark” brand for the aesthetic fatigue of the luxury brands that the public is familiar with. More and more consumers are beginning to pursue personalized products. There are many data shows that consumers' preference for big logos is declining, and these “dark” brands just meet the needs of niche consumers for craftsmanship or design quality. With the rise of designer shoppers in China, these niche brands, which are not even on the international fashion week, have been loved by a group of consumers and are more sticky.

Of course, vanity is also an important factor driving the popularity of the "dark" style. Commentator Lin Jian believes that the "dark" style has become a new luxury, in which vanity accounts for a large part, because under the influence of fast fashion attacks and Internet communication, mainstream fashion in photo performance and big difference Not big, and the mix of fashion and fast fashion also makes it unreliable to show vanity by clothing. Therefore, although the original meaning of the "dark" style is to reflect the low-key, in fact, it can present a clear sense of value.

The "dark" style does not exist in the Western market, so for Rick Owens, the "dark" style is not the brand's active marketing, but the east wind that can be used. Because of Rick Owens' foundation in commercialization, when people began to pay attention to the "dark" style, the first brand to know was Rick Owens.

Create a sneaker business that generates unexpected revenues

It’s a complete accident that sneakers become Rick Owens’s explosive items. Although Rick Owens has already impressed consumers with a popular item leather jacket, the shoe business has unexpectedly become another sign of the brand. Rick Owens said in several interviews, "Sports shoes are never considered by me. The only reason I started designing shoes is that the shoes on the market have disappointed me. I don't want to do anything different. Rick Owens himself has been obsessed with fitness for many years, and the combination of sports shorts and sneakers has become a designer's uniform for many years.

It is worth noting that Rick Owens began designing shoes earlier than the sporting trend of the past two years, and even an important force to lead this trend. At that time, there were few expensive shoes with more than $1,000 on the market. Rick Owens took a favorable position when the market was still less crowded. The brand's most iconic sneaker, Geobasket, this sneaker launched in 2008 is like a spoof of Nike, Adidas and Puma. And he also received a letter of protest from Nike, claiming that the design of the side of the sneaker is too similar to that of Nike. However, this style has been extended and become a best-selling shoe. The original design of this sneaker is now sold for $2,000 on eBay.

The sneakers became an important and rich product line of Rick Owens, which led to a variety of styles of sneakers, including training shoes that can be worn everyday, as well as very exaggerated boots that pull the socks onto the thighs. He also established a long-lasting partnership with Adidas, leading the trend of cross-border cooperation in sneakers.

Now more and more brands are trying to use the shoes to seize the hearts of young consumers, creating a pair of explosive shoes and even allowing a brand to completely turn over. Stan Smith makes Adidas the fastest growing sports brand. The sneakers created by Rick Owens and the sneaker business that generates revenue for the brand also add stability and risk resistance to the brand's operations.

Stay independent and control

What makes Rick Owens even more special is that the brand has remained private to this day and has not been invaded by any group. His private company Owenscorp was founded in Paris. In 2010, Owenscorp's revenue was about $40 million. It was close to $70 million in 2012, more than $100 million in 2013, and more than $120 million this year. His wife, Michèle Lamy, was a partner in the 25s and the most important muse of Rick Owens. ElzaLanzo and her brother-in-law, Luca Ruggeri, respectively served as CEO and Commercial Director of the company, who hold 20% of the company's shares, and the remaining shares are held by Rick Owens. This setting has not changed in the 20 years since the brand was founded.

According to sources, Zeng has repeatedly expressed its willingness to acquire the brand, but the brand refused the entry of external capital. At the same time, unlike the ordinary brands, the design of the Rick Owens brand is all designed by the designer himself, and the brand does not have a design team. At any level, Rick Owens maintains a high degree of independence so that the brand is more flexible. For designer brands, maintaining brand tonality is critical. After all, no matter how successful commercialization is, consumers are willing to buy Rick Owens, which is low-key and special.

Fashion show does not avoid the head

Compared to the sneakers and the dark style, Rick Owens has caused public attention twice in the past two years because of the gimmicks on the fashion show. The “Dew Birds” on the Fall/Winter 2015 collection sparked a lot of controversy, and the model’s exposure to privacy put Rick Owens on the cusp. The "inverted gold hook" of the model of the spring/summer 2016 model once again aroused the public. People are curious, and have always been the low-key "dark" brand, why did they make a show in the fashion show, and even make gimmicks.

Rick Owens said in an interview, "I don't think you have a way to really shock people in this era. I don't want to waste everyone's time. Everyone is very busy. If you want to be a show, you have to be a 'show.'" In an era of attention, Rick Owens's ideas are in line with the attributes of social media. The current market law implies that “low-key” does not mean that the brand does not speak, but uses various means of communication to give the brand a “low-key” attribute. Even though many people are resentful, they have to admit that people often buy products because of the concept of "low-key" rather than the brand's silent name. The reason for making a show is nothing more than a reason for people to buy.

Throughout all levels, Rick Owens's commercial success is not intentional, but there are also many elements of dedication and even luck. Whether it is the sneaker trend, the spread of the dark style is basically not what Rick Owens can foresee. But the brand has been in a stable position for 20 years, and there must be something right. Focusing on products, maintaining brand tonality, fully demonstrating brand differentiation, and maintaining capital independence are all areas of reference for Rick Owens. Rick Owens's "dark" business is not really dark, just playing the concept of "darkness."