Aest Studio is a cutting-edge design brand led by women, committed to breaking the neglect of women's needs in different professional fields, perfectly integrating "aesthetics" and "functionality", and providing contemporary women with more choices. The brand name originates from the first letter of "Aesthetics", symbolizing the brand's ultimate pursuit of aesthetics. Aest Studio is also an advocate for women's lifestyles, focusing on women's achievements and praising women's power is the spiritual core of the brand. We draw design inspiration from the stories of women around the world, attempting to create a new aesthetic language that transcends the singular attributes of style and becomes a philosophy of life - breaking silence, showcasing sharpness, and ultimately consolidating the unique resilience of women. Whether it's controlling the pace in the workplace or expanding boundaries in life, Aest Studio will be the most loyal partner for women, always providing them with bag products that combine design and professional practicality.

Aest Studio is a cutting-edge design brand led by women, committed to breaking the neglect of women's needs in different professional fields, perfectly integrating "aesthetics" and "functionality", and providing contemporary women with more choices. The brand name originates from the first letter of "Aesthetics", symbolizing the brand's ultimate pursuit of aesthetics. Aest Studio is also an advocate for women's lifestyles, focusing on women's achievements and praising women's power is the spiritual core of the brand. We draw design inspiration from the stories of women around the world, attempting to create a new aesthetic language that transcends the singular attributes of style and becomes a philosophy of life - breaking silence, showcasing sharpness, and ultimately consolidating the unique resilience of women. Whether it's controlling the pace in the workplace or expanding boundaries in life, Aest Studio will be the most loyal partner for women, always providing them with bag products that combine design and professional practicality.

JUNE 2024 GQ.COM —



BACKSTAGE WITH RICK OWENS BEFORE HIS ICONIC 200-PERSON FASHION SHOW — JUNE 20, 2024 — BY SAMUEL HINE“BEAUTY IS PAIN,” THE DESIGNER TOLD GQ, AS HE MADE FINAL ADJUSTMENTS TO THE MODELS WEARING HIS UNFORGETTABLE SPRING-SUMMER 2025 COLLECTION. I FIND RICK OWENS STANDING NEXT TO A SEA OF BODIES. “COME WALK WITH ME,” HE SAYS. IT’S THURSDAY MORNING, SHORTLY BEFORE THE ICONOCLASTIC AMERICAN DESIGNER’S PARIS FASHION WEEK TIME SLOT. WE’RE BACKSTAGE IN A CONCRETE WING OF THE PALAIS DE TOKYO. IT’S MUCH MORE CROWDED THAN USUAL. THIS SEASON, OWENS CAST EXACTLY 200 MODELS TO WALK IN HIS SHOW. MOST ARE GROUPED TOGETHER WAITING TO GET OWENS’S FINAL APPROVAL, A SEA OF CREAMY GAUZE AND POINTY SHOULDERS PUNCTUATED BY STRANGE HEADWEAR THAT BRINGS TO MIND STAR WARS AND DUNE.



OWENS WADES IN, STOPPING IN FRONT OF A WOMAN WITH BIRD-LIKE BONE STRUCTURE WHOSE HEAD IS FRAMED BY A CRUNCHY LEATHER HOOD.“ARE YOU A STUDENT?” OWENS ASKS.“NO, BUT I’M A BIG FAN,” SHE GUSHES. “YOU’RE SUCH AN ICON. YOU’RE MY FAVORITE DESIGNER.”OWENS LOOKS AT HER THROUGH SPORTY BLACK READING GLASSES PERCHED ON THE BRIDGE OF HIS NOSE. HIS BLACK LACQUERED FINGERNAILS DANCE AROUND HER NECK AS HE SNAPS A SERIES OF BUTTONS TOGETHER. HE SMILES. “WELL, THAT IS THE RIGHT THING TO SAY.”RICK OWENS SHOWS TYPICALLY FEEL LIKE OPEN- AIR ROCK CONCERTS, WITH HIS CULT OF BLACK-CLAD DEVOTEES LINED UP OUTSIDE THE GATES FOR HOURS BEFOREHAND TO CATCH A GLIMPSE OF THEIR FASHION GOD AND HIS PYROTECHNIC-FUELED PRODUCTIONS. BUT IN JANUARY, CITING THE “BARBARIC TIMES” WE LIVE IN, OWENS DECIDED TO MOVE FROM HIS TRADITIONAL PALAIS DE TOKYO SHOW LOCATION TO THE PARIS HOME HE SHARES WITH HIS WIFE MICHÈLE LAMY. THE MODELS STALKED THROUGH HIS LIVING ROOM BEFORE AN INTIMATE CROWD OF EDITORS WHO SAT ON OWENS’S FURNITURE. “I FELT A FESTIVAL ATMOSPHERE WAS NOT APPROPRIATE FOR THIS MOMENT IN TIME,” HE TOLD ME AT THE TIME. BUT OWENS FELT GUILTY FOR EXCLUDING HIS COMMUNITY BY MOVING TO A MORE EXCLUSIVE SCALE. SAYS OWENS, “I THOUGHT, OH, I HAVE TO RECTIFY THIS. AND HOW DO I RECTIFY IT? INVITE THEM ALL TO BE IN THE SHOW!” IT’S ABOUT 45 MINUTES BEFORE WHAT IS CLEARLY SHAPING UP TO BE ONE OF HIS MOST UNFORGETTABLE SPECTACLES IN A CAREER FULL OF THEM, AND OWENS HAS A LOT OF MODELS TO GET THROUGH. HE LOOKS AROUND FOR MORE DARK FASHION DRUIDS AND WRAITHS THAT HE HASN’T ZHUZHED YET. “I JUST HAD THEM CHANGE THE MUSIC TO MAKE IT HARDER,” HE SAYS OVER THE HYPER TECHNO TRACK BLARING IN THE BACKGROUND.



OWENS WADES IN, STOPPING IN FRONT OF A WOMAN WITH BIRD-LIKE BONE STRUCTURE WHOSE HEAD IS FRAMED BY A CRUNCHY LEATHER HOOD.“ARE YOU A STUDENT?” OWENS ASKS.“NO, BUT I’M A BIG FAN,” SHE GUSHES. “YOU’RE SUCH AN ICON. YOU’RE MY FAVORITE DESIGNER.”OWENS LOOKS AT HER THROUGH SPORTY BLACK READING GLASSES PERCHED ON THE BRIDGE OF HIS NOSE. HIS BLACK LACQUERED FINGERNAILS DANCE AROUND HER NECK AS HE SNAPS A SERIES OF BUTTONS TOGETHER. HE SMILES. “WELL, THAT IS THE RIGHT THING TO SAY.”RICK OWENS SHOWS TYPICALLY FEEL LIKE OPEN- AIR ROCK CONCERTS, WITH HIS CULT OF BLACK-CLAD DEVOTEES LINED UP OUTSIDE THE GATES FOR HOURS BEFOREHAND TO CATCH A GLIMPSE OF THEIR FASHION GOD AND HIS PYROTECHNIC-FUELED PRODUCTIONS. BUT IN JANUARY, CITING THE “BARBARIC TIMES” WE LIVE IN, OWENS DECIDED TO MOVE FROM HIS TRADITIONAL PALAIS DE TOKYO SHOW LOCATION TO THE PARIS HOME HE SHARES WITH HIS WIFE MICHÈLE LAMY. THE MODELS STALKED THROUGH HIS LIVING ROOM BEFORE AN INTIMATE CROWD OF EDITORS WHO SAT ON OWENS’S FURNITURE. “I FELT A FESTIVAL ATMOSPHERE WAS NOT APPROPRIATE FOR THIS MOMENT IN TIME,” HE TOLD ME AT THE TIME. BUT OWENS FELT GUILTY FOR EXCLUDING HIS COMMUNITY BY MOVING TO A MORE EXCLUSIVE SCALE. SAYS OWENS, “I THOUGHT, OH, I HAVE TO RECTIFY THIS. AND HOW DO I RECTIFY IT? INVITE THEM ALL TO BE IN THE SHOW!” IT’S ABOUT 45 MINUTES BEFORE WHAT IS CLEARLY SHAPING UP TO BE ONE OF HIS MOST UNFORGETTABLE SPECTACLES IN A CAREER FULL OF THEM, AND OWENS HAS A LOT OF MODELS TO GET THROUGH. HE LOOKS AROUND FOR MORE DARK FASHION DRUIDS AND WRAITHS THAT HE HASN’T ZHUZHED YET. “I JUST HAD THEM CHANGE THE MUSIC TO MAKE IT HARDER,” HE SAYS OVER THE HYPER TECHNO TRACK BLARING IN THE BACKGROUND.