Sock Boots
ABOUT
Rick Owens is a luxury streetwear designer, who has made innovative architectural choices in his works, which range from shoes, clothing to furniture. His brand “DrkShdw” is highly adored by streetwear fans. Owens’ catalog has been labeled gothic, grunge and extremely nonconformist. The brand’s popularity has been deemed cult-like, due to the fans constantly seeking to purchase second hand or resold products. These Rick Owens sock boots differ from other sock boots being that they are made of nylon and that they reach over the calf. This thigh-high unisex shoe, which is made from black nylon for the leg’s base, has a rubber sole. The bottom of the shoe is cream at the sole. The toe box of the shoe bears a stark resemblance to an American cult classic, the Chuck Taylor Converse shoe. The apparent twinning of the shoes has raised questions from fashion consumers, wondering if it was an intentional rip off. According to “Rick Owens on Corrupting the Classics” (2021), a New York Times interview conducted by Jessica Testa, Owens owes a lot of his inspiration to rock bands and Converse shoes. When asked during the interview if Owens owned converse and if that inspired him, his response was:
“No, no, of course I did. We all did. Everybody that wanted to look like the Ramones. And the Ramones were my style idols. They still are, kind of.
I associate Converse very much with the Ramones, and that’s what makes Converse seem like kind of a scrappy outsider symbol to a lot of people.”
The brand has a multicultural consumer base. Rick Owens and the sock boots are seen in Japanese streetwear. The African American buyer can be said to have put Rick Owens on the trend platform around 2016, when PlayBoi Carti, a hip-hop musician, referenced the designer brand in a song. Another famous hip-hop artist currently re-popularizing the shoe is Lil Uzi Vert, who is known for his out of norm music and style.
While Owens’ clothes are gender neutral and quite unisex, there has been flack about how he utilizes diversity in shows. In Rick Owens’ 2014 womenswear show in Paris, he featured a predominantly African American step team in substitution for models. Controversy sparked about the performance art because the energy was seemingly more aggressive than Owens’ typical dark gothic and romantic essence.
—Label written by Tamia Wheeler
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DESIGNER
Rick Owens
MATERIALS
Nylon, rubber
COLLECTION OF
Tamia Wheeler
Sock Boots
Click on Image to View Gallery
ABOUT
Rick Owens is a luxury streetwear designer, who has made innovative architectural choices in his works, which range from shoes, clothing to furniture. His brand “DrkShdw” is highly adored by streetwear fans. Owens’ catalog has been labeled gothic, grunge and extremely nonconformist. The brand’s popularity has been deemed cult-like, due to the fans constantly seeking to purchase second hand or resold products. These Rick Owens sock boots differ from other sock boots being that they are made of nylon and that they reach over the calf. This thigh-high unisex shoe, which is made from black nylon for the leg’s base, has a rubber sole. The bottom of the shoe is cream at the sole. The toe box of the shoe bears a stark resemblance to an American cult classic, the Chuck Taylor Converse shoe. The apparent twinning of the shoes has raised questions from fashion consumers, wondering if it was an intentional rip off. According to “Rick Owens on Corrupting the Classics” (2021), a New York Times interview conducted by Jessica Testa, Owens owes a lot of his inspiration to rock bands and Converse shoes. When asked during the interview if Owens owned converse and if that inspired him, his response was:
“No, no, of course I did. We all did. Everybody that wanted to look like the Ramones. And the Ramones were my style idols. They still are, kind of.
I associate Converse very much with the Ramones, and that’s what makes Converse seem like kind of a scrappy outsider symbol to a lot of people.”
The brand has a multicultural consumer base. Rick Owens and the sock boots are seen in Japanese streetwear. The African American buyer can be said to have put Rick Owens on the trend platform around 2016, when PlayBoi Carti, a hip-hop musician, referenced the designer brand in a song. Another famous hip-hop artist currently re-popularizing the shoe is Lil Uzi Vert, who is known for his out of norm music and style.
While Owens’ clothes are gender neutral and quite unisex, there has been flack about how he utilizes diversity in shows. In Rick Owens’ 2014 womenswear show in Paris, he featured a predominantly African American step team in substitution for models. Controversy sparked about the performance art because the energy was seemingly more aggressive than Owens’ typical dark gothic and romantic essence.
—Label written by Tamia Wheeler
DESIGNER
Rick Owens
MATERIALS
Nylon, rubber
COLLECTION OF
Tamia Wheeler
Listen to Audio
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