There are few shows that, no matter how many times you watch them, always make you feel something different. That is what Rick Owens is. For his Spring/Summer 2027 menswear show, titled Stone and presented as usual at the Palais de Tokyo in Paris, he keeps pushing the boundaries of silhouette and the human form. This season, he brought adidas along to help him do it.
Since last season, Rick has been building a narrative around transformation, defence and the deepest human emotions, represented as armour. Stone picks up exactly where that left off, but with a sharper question at its centre. The full show note read: “Some of us arm. Some of us train. Some of us turn away. Some of us turn to stone.” The title was partly a reference to the collective paralysis ordinary people are experiencing: the daily reality of processing menace, of teetering on the edge of forces that feel impossible to control. Rick’s answer, as always, was to get dressed and face it.
With Stone, the title became a metaphor for the different ways people confront fear, uncertainty and vulnerability. The epaulette returned as a key motif, now lighter and removable, reframing military authority as something personal and worn on your own terms. The collection moved from second-skin T-shirts with a zipper up the spine to strong-shouldered coats and dramatic-collared blousons. The most radical details, however, came from the craftsmanship underneath: sheer latex tops that looked like lingerie, delicate enough to feel fragile, contrasted against sweeping latex capes and skeletal chaps built from foam and latex.
The biggest element, of course, was the structural work, borrowing from architectural theory to mirror the tension and compression of the human body itself. Anchoring it all were the signature over-the-knee platform boots, razor-pointed and pulled high over three-striped track pants. Yes, an adidas link-up.
Exercise and training, in whatever capacity, led Owens to partner with adidas on a collection that integrated the brand’s technical sportswear DNA into his own universe. The result included a technical sneaker with a cleated sole and an ankle cuff worn up or down, tracksuits in everything from technical jersey to suede and leather, and longline hoodies extended into full capes with trains. Inflatable jackets and shorts fitted with internal fans were designed to function as a personal cooling system, lowering a runner’s core body temperature before competition, something that was very much needed in Paris that week.
