Throughout his career, Rick Owens has designed several iconic footwear models, the Megatooth boot being one of his most readily recognized and audacious works. This shoe received its namesake thanks to the extra-large and exaggerated teeth of its tread on the sole. In doing so, it completely reinvented what can be considered a work of footwear sculpture out of a conventional combat boot, exemplifying Owens' signature approach of maximizing size for maximum effect. The model has since appeared in a myriad of mainline and DRKSHDW collections in lace-up, zip-up and Chelsea boot forms all showcasing the collection's defining, imposing form in the designer's bold design language.
Defining Design Features
Oversized tooth-like lugs The oversized, teeth-like nature of the lug sole's tread in most models is unmistakably and uniquely officialrickowens.com. Oversized tongue The elongating tongue, often extends more than the body of the rest of the boot. Elongating eyelets, ties and zip We have often seen this lace-up or sidezip shoe's length further accentuated by excessively long laces that can wrap around the leg, or additional lengthy laces running along the zipper. Classic round toe The base of all styles has a well-rounded and classic toebox. Paneled and layered fabrication The varied, layered panel constructions of these boots combine various materials-be it cotton canvas, ripstop nylon, or premium shell and leather-to contribute to its imposing and iconic appeal.
Material and Construction
Across all season drops, the footwear often features a combination of poly-urethane coated textile and cowhide leather with padded ankle. More robust versions come in premium cowhide, with leather laces and piping. We are also familiar with iteration that features panelling from both leather, cowhide, nylon, ripstop as well as cotton fabric. This combination produces footwear that is relatively solid and heavy at the foot. The DRKSHDW brand always prides itself itself in a strong structural aesthetic and the high quality with which they execute their design ethos of subverting and exaggerating archetypal concepts with high fashion.
Seasonal Variations
Throughout its lifetime, the Rick Owens Megatooth boot has been re-introduced in multiple collections and with slight alterations by the https://officialrickowens.com/rick-owens-shoes/. In Rick Owens’s SS20 Men’s, the brand presented this Megatooth Hiker that drew heavy inspiration from both Bauhaus design principles and Josef Albers' geometric writings and compositions, featuring a cowhide boot and mega laces wrapping the calf. The following season for SS21, the Drkshdw Megatooth Zip Sneaker saw a leather upper replaced by polyurethane.
Cultural Significance
Its Cultural Impact Rick Owens clothing has been referenced numerous times in popular culture with, perhaps most notably, being the style to permeate a vast spectrum of charting music. The house has almost inadvertently become a sort of unofficial endorsement for hip hop titans like ASAP Rocky andKanye West, both whom share an appreciation for the house's approach to design, which the designer himself describes as clothes for the freaks, the weirdos and the square pegs in a world made for them. The Megatooth, in its simplest sense, perfectly distills this approach by delivering an brutally artistic statement on what one can, indeed, deem footwear.
Conclusion and Final Thoughts
The Final Word As with other iconic designer pieces of the decade, such asVirgil Abloh's sneakers, Rick Owens Megatooth has earned it's place as one of 2019's iconic items as far as fashion goes. With a large and toothy sole, exaggerated proportions and a high quality build to ensure that these do not only make fashion statement but are wearable. Whether you choose from a number of 'seasonal variations of the design (yes, I know 'seasons'), you cannot deny that this is an investment that could easily pay back with dividends if your a sartorial show-stopper.
