Owens, Rod

(1962- )

   Born and raised in California, Owens studied at the Parsons School of Design before taking a job as a patternmaker for his designer-girlfriend, Michele Lamy. He opened his own business in 1994, designing deconstructed punk-rock style clothing. He got his big break in 2001 when Anna Wintour and Vogue magazine sponsored his first fashion show in New York and he received the prestigious Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) Perry Ellis Award for Emerging Talent the same year. Owens moved to Paris in 2003 and, in addition to designing his own collection, he was named artistic director for Revillon, the French fur company.