L'Officiel Hommes USA Fall 2020

FALL 2020

JARED LETO The Power of Freedom

apply to the new panerai pam.guard program to benefit up to 8 years of international limited warranty register your timepiece on panerai.com

JARED LETO PHOTOGRAPHED BY CAMERON McCOOL AND STYLED BY KARLA WELCH Jamie Taylor HAIR: Dylan Chavles XKARLA ABOVE—Shirt, pants, and boots SAINT LAURENT Ring JOHN HARDY Neckace BELADORA GROOMING:

ON THE COVER—T-shirt

Volume 3, Number 15 | lofficielusa.com | L’OFFICIEL USA | Lever House 390 Park Ave New York, NY 10022

THE ART OF STANDING OUT

Carlos Teixeira STYLED BY Pablo Patanè PHOTOGRAPHY BY

JACKSON WANG IS TAKING OVER THE WORLD BY

Lisa Moivus

PHOTOGRAPHY BY

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This season, designers left less for the imagination with a commanding array of embellishments.

Huang Jiaqi

How the multi-hyphenate went from fencing in Hong Kong to becoming a global sensation.

NATURE & NURTURE

Chatchanan Chantajinda STYLED BY Chanond Mingmit PHOTOGRAPHY BY

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Civil garments that run toward adventure.

JARED LETO’S WORST KEPT SECRETS Joshua Glass PHOTOGRAPHY BY Cameron McCool STYLED BY Karla Welch BY

WE ARE ALL FRAGILE SOULS PHOTOGRAPHY BY

Collier Schorr

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The eclectic French artist known as Woodkid keys into a new kind of strength.

PERSONAL SHOPPING

Cam Hicks STYLED BY Laure Hériard Dubreuil The Webster’s Laure Hériard Dubreuil sees LA’s latest batch of cool kids through their own distinctive styles.

PHOTOGRAPHY BY

IRAMA NOW PHOTOGRAPHY BY Valentin

Hennequin The TV talent show-victor is the new voice of made-in-Italy music.

The enigmatic actor, musician, and all-around provocateur reflects on life during a new era with pop music innovator Finneas.

SEEING DOUBLE

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46

BY

Pamela Golbin

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Legendary art duo Gilbert & George muse about dualities in life with designer Jonathan Anderson.

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POWER OFF 60 BY

Joshua Glass

A fashion portfolio rethinking traditional menswear.

DECODING DRESS

Richie Talboy STYLED BY Daniel Gaines With the office environment reimagined, new standards of attire allow for a little wiggle room.

PHOTOGRAPHY BY

WHEN IN ROME

Filip Koludrovic STYLED BY Luca Falcioni PHOTOGRAPHY BY

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70

The suiting matches the city: time-tested, passionate, classic shapes that will endure.

AURA SEEKERS BY

Nathalie Nort

100

Studio KO’s countless architectural projects come one after another like cinematic montages spread all over the world.

WORLD WIDE WUNDERKIND BY

Justin Polera

108

François Quillacq Margaux Dague

PHOTOGRAPHY BY STYLED BY

Art ingénue Samuel Fasse in conversation with sound architect Michel Gaubert on the sensory and the Internet.

BOLD TYPE

Ricardo Gomes Luca Falcioni

PHOTOGRAPHY BY STYLED BY

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BODY OF EVIDENCE

Jennifer Livingston The most desired men’s accessories for Fall/Winter 2020 as chosen by you, the readers.

PHOTOGRAPHY BY

114

This season’s pieces leave nothing to spare.

TO THE MANOR BORN

Guillaume Malheiro STYLED BY Celine Bourreau and Raphael De Castro PHOTOGRAPHY BY

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A languid afternoon showcases the most opulent textures and patterns.

A RARE GAZE

Baptiste Piégay PHOTOGRAPHY BY Quentin de Briey BY

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Viggo Mortensen’s first feature film behind the camera mirrors the very notions we have of its author.

L’LOOK BACK BY

Sophie Shaw

Seventies style was just as radical in its time as it remains today.

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PUBLISHERS

Marie-José Susskind-Jalou, Maxime Jalou CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER

CHAIRMAN

Benjamin Eymère

GLOBAL CHIEF REVENUE OFFICER

CHRISTOPHER BROWN

Anthony Cenname

GLOBAL DEPUTY CEO

GLOBAL DIGITAL EDITORIAL DIRECTOR

CONSULTING GLOBAL CHIEF CREATIVE OFFICER

GLOBAL HEAD OF CONTENT PROJECTS AND FASHION INITIATIVES

Maria Cecilia Andretta

Joshua Glass

Stefano Tonchi

Caroline Grosso

EXECUTIVE EDITOR

GIAMPIETRO BAUDO FEATURES EDITOR

Delphine Valloire

FASHION FEATURES EDITOR

CASTING DIRECTOR

Laure Ambroise

BOOKINGS EDITOR

Jennifer Eymere MANAGING EDITOR

Joshua Glasgow

SENIOR EDITORS

Sara Ali

Sabrina Abbas, Sophie Shaw

ART DIRECTION

Luca Ballirò, Giulia Gilebbi

INTERNS

Hannah Amini, Jennifer Bindman, Lizzie Brill, Courtney DeLong, Natalie Frantz, Robbie Gutman, Lexi Hempel, Taylor Jeffries, Alyssa Kelly, Irene Kim, Agatha Krasuski, Sophie Lee, Mayra Morales, Johnny Rabe, Nicolette Salmi

CONTRIBUTORS CONSULTING EXECUTIVE MANAGING EDITOR

CREATIVE DIRECTOR

Regan Solmo

PHOTOGRAPHY

DESIGN DIRECTOR

TREY LAIRD

PRODUCTION

Chatchanan Chantajinda, Miriam Herzfeld, Patrick Kinsella, Quentin de Briey, Ricardo Gomes, Rhianna Rule Valentin Hennequin, Cam Hicks, Filip Koludrovic, Jennifer Livingston, Guillaume Malheiro, Cameron McCool, François Quillacq, Collier Schorr, Carlos Teixeira

Michael Riso

FASHION

Celine Bourreau, Lily Chou, Margaux Dague, Raphael De Castro, Laure Hériard Dubreuil, Luca Falcioni, Daniel Gaines, Chanond Mingmit, Pablo Patanè, Simonez Wolf

FEATURES

Lisa Moivus, Nathalie Nort, Pamela Golbin

In this Issue

François HALARD PHOTOGRAPHER

“Aura Seekers”

“I was delighted to discover a district of Los Angeles that I did not know and the fantastic and original Studio KO project for Richard Christiansen.

It was a wonderful moment spent all together photographing this extraordinary property.”

MR_MASTHEAD.indd 1

Huang JIAQI PHOTOGRAPHER

“Jackson Wang is Taking Over the World” “I like working with musicians like Jackson because they know exactly what they want. I used Polaroid film for this, because it allows me to feel more of a connection with the subject.

Everything is immediate.”

Justin POLERA WRITER

Karla WELCH

Richie TALBOY

“World Wide Wunderkind”

“Jared Leto’s Worst Kept Secrets”

STYLIST

PHOTOGRAPHER

“Samuel Fasse has emerged as a virtuoso of his generation. Importantly rejecting the idea of the single individual auteur, his hybrid practice fuses contemporary art and fashion, and is completely collaborative.”

“I wanted to make Jared into my teenage dream heartthrob—one of them, anyway!”

“The humorous cartoon neckties in our story speak in the nonsensical language of bureaucracy—veiled, often senseless decisions made by a corporate society.”

“Decoding Dress”

20/10/20 19:01

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JACK SON Wang IS TAKING OVER the WORLD

How the multi-hyphenate went from fencing in Hong Kong to becoming a K-Pop rapper, Cartier ambassador, and now global sensation.

By LISA MOIVUS Photography HUANG JIAQI

Jackson Wang isn’t used to staying still. But like everyone and everything else in the world, the events of this year have forced him to take a pause. Since joining the Korean pop group Got7 in 2014, the 26-year-old rapper and singer’s pace has only redoubled as his solo career climbed the charts, first in his native China, and now around the globe. “The quarantine was crazy in ways both good and bad,” says Wang, talking from Shanghai, which he returned to from Hong Kong in May of this year. “I’ve been [going] non-stop for five, six years, and this is the first time that I had no choice but to rest.”

Mainland China requires a two-week stay-at-home period for all arrivals, even international superstars. “It really got me to think about and reflect on everything. You know, life.”

appropriation of Western jazz, and from the 1960s on it became the inspiration for other Asian nations and territories to create their own fusions of local music and popular western styles. From the 1970s until the early 2000s, Hong Kong’s Cantonese-language Cantopop movement dominated Asia, but enjoyed only niche appreciation globally. South Korea took over the spotlight in the 1990s, with a talent for memorable songs, often with versions sung in multiple languages, mixed with eye-catching videos and equally eye-catching singers.

Following in the footsteps of artists like Exo, Wonder Girls, Big Bang, and Ikon, current hitmakers Got7 and girl group Blackpink have further expanded K-pop’s overseas appeal with Chinese, Thai, and New Zealander members performing

Wang spent those 14 days—when he “didn’t shave for two weeks!”—almost entirely rehearsing for an upcoming Chinese dance competition, one of many he takes on. In cramped confines, the young artist practiced his choreo— which often includes his much-admired backflip—before a single bed and tiny mirror that only reflected back half of his body. The performative isolation reinforced his long-standing philosophy: “You have to know yourself to make your own history.” He says “You really have to do what you love. If you love something, go after it. Don’t hesitate or else you’re gonna regret it one day.”

I’m TRYING TO SUGGEST that ALTHOUGH WE might SEEM FAR AWAY from EACH OTHER, WE MIGHT be CLOSER than WE THOUGHT.

As for his own trajectory, Wang has certainly always followed his own advice. Hailing from the Hong Kong neighborhood of Kowloon, the child of two athletes grew up speaking Cantonese, Shanghainese, Mandarin, and English while also fencing competitively. His success in the sport followed that of his father’s, Wang Ruiji, while his Shanghainese mother, Sophia Chow, was an acrobatics gymnast and the daughter of Zhou Yongchang, a renowned physician in Shanghai.

At the age of 20, Wang swapped his sword for a mic when he was scouted to join a then-new boy band Got7 by JYP Entertainment, a force in the Korean music industry. “[The two] were definitely different,” Wang muses about ending his sporting career to begin his musical journey. “I thought, I might fail, I might succeed, but at least I’m trying. But I think they both have the same philosophy and vision, and through every chapter of my life I’ve discovered even more about myself.” After moving to Seoul in 2014 and learning Korean, he soon found fame with Got7, which by then had become a seven-boy supergroup, and who have since gone viral with their hip hop chart-toppers and over-the-top live performances that combine elements of martial arts with breakdancing. A few years later, Wang launched a parallel solo career as a Mandarin-language singer in mainland China before taking off internationally in English.

Wang’s successful meteoric solo rise globally has come as Korean pop music—spearheaded by BTS, also known as the Bangtan Boys, and their energetic fan base—has gained international traction unprecedented for East Asian music. Japan’s J-pop traces back over a century to an initial

alongside South Koreans.

Returning from quarantine, Wang was quickly back to the bustle, managing his company, Team Wang, in Shanghai while his songs became global hits. After snagging his first number one on Billboard’s Emerging Artists chart last November with his debut English-language solo album, Mirrors, this May his single “100 Ways” became the first by a Chinese solo artist to reach the Mediabase Top 40 radio chart. The track has since continued to set records on global charts. “I’m not trying to break in or invade or whatever that’s called,” says Wang, when asked about his place in the global music industry compared to that of Asia’s. “I’m a Chinese kid who loves music and is trying to do something different. I just want to share that with everybody. We’re living on earth. If there are aliens, I would love to share my stuff with them too, definitely.”

With meticulously produced videos often referencing Chinese history and his traditional culture, Wang is out to create cultural bridges at a time when so many of them are crumbling, especially between China and the United States.

“At the end of the day, the East and West [are] very far apart from each other,” he says. “I feel that when Asian or Eastern

OPPOSITE PAGE, OVERLAY—Shirt

FENDI Earrings CARTIER SAINT LAURENT Watch CARTIER ON THE COVER—Jacket CELINE Watch CARTIER

OPPOSITE AND PREVIOUS PAGE—Jacket

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FENDI tie PRADA Bracelet CARTIER

THIS PAGE AND OPPOSITE PAGE, RIGHT—Shirt ABOVE AND OPPOSITE PAGE, LEFT – Vest, shirt, and

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I’M a CHINESE KID WHO LOVES MUSIC and IS TRYING TO do SOMETHING DIFFERENT. I JUST WANT to SHARE THAT WITH EVERYBODY. We’re LIVING ON EARTH. IF THERE are ALIENS, I WOULD LOVE to SHARE MY STUFF WITH them TOO. people look at Western [society], they don’t know exactly what is going on. And it’s the opposite way in the West. So I’m just trying to share more right now about my culture through music and in my videos visually. But I also love learning about other cultures as much as I love sharing mine; I’m just trying to connect everything together.” Wang pauses, then adds, “I’m also trying to suggest that although we might seem far away from each other, we might be closer than we thought.”

This kind of introspection after such an extraordinary year has forced Wang’s creative history-making into a peculiar focus.

Normally, he divides his life in half: spending six months of every year working alone and the other six with his K-pop group members. “It has been really tough on both sides,” he says. “When Team Wang rests, I go to Got7 to K-pop. When they rest, I’m back on my own.” In Mainland China, where

STYLING: Lily

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local COVID-19 transmissions have nearly been eradicated thanks to strict lockdowns and quarantines, Wang has been able to resume some of his live shows; most recently performing at Hangzhou’s XX Dreamland for L’Oréal, Chengdu’s Play House for Fendi, and Shanghai’s Space Plus for Snow Beer.

Hoping to return to Seoul this fall, and the prospect of another fortnight in quarantine, Wang believes his launchpads—the Chinese and Korean pop industries—are more similar than they are different. Nor does he feel any split between his own dual identities. “Why would you want to differentiate?” he asks. “At the end of the day, there are no boundaries, you know? Chinese, American, Korean, we’re all humans, and I truly feel that. It doesn’t matter if an artist works in Korea or in China, whatever art the artist makes, he or she is still an artist. There’s no difference.”

OPPOSITE PAGE—Shirt JACKSON’S OWN Chou HAIR: Simon Zhao GROOMING: Chunjie Zhang STYLIST ASSISTANTS: Vanessa He, 77 PRODUCTION: Rouge Studio

Away from their intended environments, even the most civil garments run toward adventure.

Photography CHATCHANAN CHANTAJINDA Styled by CHANOND MINGMIT

L’TREND

ABOVE—Suit

BOSS pants HOMMES PLISSÉ ISSEY MIYAKE OPPOSITE PAGE, RIGHT—Coat, sweater, shirt, pants, and shoes BOTTEGA VENETA PREVIOUS PAGE—Suit and shoes HERMÈS

OPPOSITE PAGE, CENTER—Jacket, shirt, and

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ABOVE—Shirt, pants, and

boots PRADA scarf DIOR OPPOSITE PAGE, CENTER—Jacket, shirt, and turtleneck HOMMES PLISSÉ ISSEY MIYAKE OPPOSITE PAGE, LEFT—Suit, shirt, and

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ABOVE—Shirt

and jacket GUCCI GIVENCHY OPPOSITE PAGE, RIGHT—Coat, shirt, and shorts SALVATORE FERRAGAMO MODEL: Adams Ziadé BASS MODEL MANAGEMENT GROOMING: Worapong Chumniwigaiewd ASSISTANT FASHION EDITOR: Napat Roongruang PHOTO ASSISTANTS: Chudchpong Aumponrat, Panupong Banluesin OPPOSITE PAGE, CENTER – Sweater

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We are

fragile souls ALL

In his new album, S16, the eclectic French artist known as Woodkid reflects on the strength of admitting one’s weaknesses and asking for help.

Singer, musician, writer, visual artist, and director. This is how Yoann Lemoine defines himself. Considering the extraordinary breadth of his creative output, it is easy to understand the 37-year-old’s reluctance to narrow down his self-image. Lemoine began his career as a filmmaker, collaborating with Sofia Coppola and Luc Besson and later directing music videos for megastars like Taylor Swift, Lana Del Rey, and Harry Styles. In 2011 Lemoine added another twist to his career: He entered the recording studio under the moniker Woodkid. His soft, reserved voice unfolds over almost tribal rhythms, transporting the listener into a melancholic state while still maintaining a glimmer of hope.

The fashion world also fell in love with him: Nicolas Ghesquière, the creative director of Louis Vuitton, asked him to create a video campaign and supply the soundtracks to the brand’s shows. In turn, Ghesquière designed the stage costumes for the tour supporting S16, Woodkid’s new album, out this fall.

How do you define S16’s message?

I talk about the power that comes from knowing how to ask for help. I believe that people need to learn how to L’OFFICIEL:

WOODKID:

admit their weaknesses, especially when they are victims of depression or addiction. We often value the idea of someone who has everything under control, but the truth is, there are situations in which you can control little or nothing.

Sometimes we get lost, and you have to ask for a hand and be ready to take it.

What impressed you the most about Nicolas Ghesquière?

The respect he and the entire Louis Vuitton team showed for my work. We met when he commissioned me for the music of the video campaign for Fall/Winter 2017, and from there, he asked me to curate the soundtracks for the shows.

He always trusted my vision.

L’O: W:

What are your values as an artist?

First, I believe in a predisposition to emotions and talent.

Some people have it, and some don’t. But an artist must also show curiosity and commitment. You have to work hard, learn new tools, and try different ways of doing things. You have to be very critical about the quality of the results. It’s normal for an artist to appreciate his work much less than the public does. It means that you are moving forward.

— Cristina Manfredi L’O: W:

Photography COLLIER SCHORR

L’AUTEUR

The Webster’s Laure Hériard Dubreuil sees LA’s latest batch of cool kids through their own distinctive styles.

Photography CAM HICKS Styled by LAURE HÉRIARD DUBREUIL ABOVE—WILLIAM: Jacket

ALYX Shirt ACNE STUDIOS Necklace WILLIAM’S OWN boots CELINE Earrings and rings ANNAHSTASIA’S OWN

OPPOSITE PAGE—ANNAHSTASIA: Jacket, shirt, jeans, and

L’LOOKBOOK “ANNAHSTASIA is EFFORTLESSLY CHIC, SO I BROUGHT HER BACK TO the ‘70s BY COMBINING A CARELESSLY-OPEN LAVALLIÈRE TIE WITH a BUNCH of HER OWN RINGS for A GLAMOROUS TWIST.” —LAURE HÉRIARD DUBREUIL ON ANNAHSTASIA ENUKE, SONGWRITER AND ARTIST

“Tia REMINDED ME of A MORE CAREFREE TIME. I WANTED to DRESS HER AS IF WE WERE about TO go SKATE TOGETHER in DOWNTOWN LA.” —LHD ON TIA JONSSON, MODEL

“HANK DOESN’T NEED TO TRY too HARD. HE NATURALLY GIVES CLOTHES A CERTAIN NONCHALANCE, so I WANTED TO SEE HIM in AN EASY SWEATER and COZY SHOES.” —LHD ON HANK KORSAN, DJ AND PRODUCER

“BARRINGTON’S NATURAL warmth INSPIRED ME TO CHOOSE this PAINTERLY KNIT, WHICH APPEARS LIKE AN INVITATION INTO his CREATIVE WORLD.” —LHD ON BARRINGTON DARIUS, CREATIVE DIRECTOR

“ALEX and NICK’S MOVEMENT ON SET WAS AKIN TO A symmetrical BALLET, SO COORDINATING VESTS it WAS.” —LHD ON ALEXANDER AND NICHOLAS MACULAM, MODELS

ABOVE, LEFT—ALEXANDER: Vest

MAISON MARGIELA Pants BOTTEGA VENETA NICHOLAS: Vest MAISON MARGIELA Pants 032C PALM ANGELS Shirt OFF-WHITE Pants BOTTEGA VENETA Earrings and ring BARRINGTON’S OWN OPPOSITE PAGE, LEFT—TIA: Sweater LHD Shorts ALEXANDER WANG Hat BURBERRY OPPOSITE PAGE, RIGHT—HANK: Sweater ACNE STUDIOS Pants DRIES VAN NOTEN Shoes BIRKENSTOCK X STÜSSY

ABOVE, RIGHT—BARRINGTON: Sweater

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“WILLIAM is A SKATER, and I WANTED TO SEE HIM in SOMETHING that WOULD CATCH the BREEZE. WHAT ELSE but A SILK SHIRT DESIGNED by KIM JONES for DIOR WOULD DO?” —LHD ON WILLIAM VALENTE, MODEL

ABOVE—WILLIAM: Shirt

DIOR Pants and necklace WILLIAM’S OWN

“KEON is OFF-BEAT, and SHOWS US that A SUIT DOESN’T HAVE to BE BUTTONED-UP. THE TIE-DYE and VANS HAVE an AUTHENTIC LA VIBE that I CHERISH.” —LHD ON KEON A’SHAUN, MODEL

“A MAN can’t GO WRONG WITH A TURTLENECK. It GIVES BARRINGTON an HONEST and STRONG LOOK.” ABOVE, LEFT—KEON: Suit

GIVENCHY Shirt PALM ANGELS Shoes VANS MAISON MARGIELA Pants BOTTEGA VENETA Earrings, bracelet, and rings BARRINGTON’S OWN MODELS: William Valente STORM Annahstasia Enuke SELECT Tia Jonsson SILENT Alexander Maculam SYSTEM Nicholas Maculam SYSTEM Keon A’Shaun DT MODEL MGMT Hank Corsan Barrington Darius HAIR: Holly Mills THE WALL GROUP GROOMING: Valery Gherman THE WALL GROUP PRODUCER: Rhianna Rule CASTING: Anna Jozwiak STYLIST ASSISTANTS: Linda Addouane and Gigi Freyeisen PHOTO ASSISTANT: Aijani Payne CASTING ASSISTANT: Seth Baker ABOVE, RIGHT—BARRINGTON: Sweater

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IRAMA

NOW

The TV talent show-victor is the new voice of made-in-Italy music.

Born in Carrara, Italy, raised in Monza, and now based in Milan, Filippo Maria Fanti—better known as Irama—loves Aerosmith. The classic rock band blasts from the stereo upon his request, and just as Steven Tyler wails “I don’t want to miss a thing,” Irama slips out a heartfelt lip sync. The young musician, whose moniker means “rhythm” in Malay, is riding a high, and it’s not just from this performance. Earlier this summer he was declared the victor on Amici Speciali, a TV special that raised funds for Italy’s COVID-19 pandemic.

The show was a spinoff of the original talent series Amici di Maria De Filippi, which first catapulted the artist to success in 2018. Since then he has topped the Italian Albums chart with several multi-platinum singles. Through it all, Irama’s lifelong love of rock has been in his heart: By the age of seven he had already written his first song, and at night he dreamed of becoming a professional drummer. “We are all born with a rhythm inside,” he tells L’OFFICIEL. “A heartbeat.”

There’s clearly a point of view in your work. What are you trying to tell us or show us about yourself or others?

IRAMA: The greatness of song is that it’s able to convey the things that bind us to each other and make us all human.

A friend of mine recently said to me, “We often point to L’OFFICIEL:

the moon but people look at the finger.” I am interested in people’s opinions, otherwise I wouldn’t make art for other people. We’re all influenced by others’ judgments, and it’s formative to learn from them, but it’s also right to value your own ideas.

On the final episode of Amici Speciali, you made a heartfelt speech against racism and homophobia. Do you consider yourself an activist?

I: These are important issues that, unfortunately, we still have to address. They might seem surreal to our generation, but they are realities that still exist and that we must fight. The Amici Speciali speech was tough. It was the first time I wrote a monologue, and the experience of writing it felt like a punch in the stomach. It was the same emotion I tried to evoke when I recited it on TV. L’O:

How did the COVID-19 lockdown affect your work?

I continued making music, but I didn’t do much of anything during the day. I concentrate better in the silence of nighttime. I wrote in cramped places throughout the evenings and well into the mornings. At night, I realize how sentimental I am.

—Simone Vertura L’O: I:

Photography VALENTIN HENNEQUIN STYLING: Simone

Shirt and belt DRIES VAN NOTEN Pants and boots BOTTEGA VENETA Neckace ACNE STUDIOS Rutigliano GROOMING: Erisson Muesella CLOSE UP MILANO PRODUCTION: Ali Kiblawi WASL AGENCY STYLIST ASSISTANT: Giammarco Cingolani LOCATION AND PROPS: Etel Showroom Milano

L’CHIC

theARTof

STANDING

Out

Decorative, graphic, and even avant-garde, this season designers left less for the imagination with a commanding array of embellishments.

Photography CARLOS TEIXEIRA Styled by PABLO PATANÈ

L’PORTFOLIO

Cape, coat, and gloves GIORGIO ARMANI FEDERICO: Suit, bib, boots, gaiter, gloves, and hat GIORGIO ARMANI pants DOLCE & GABBANA Shoes LOUIS VUITTON OPPOSITE PAGE, RIGHT – FEDERICO: Blazer and pants FENDI Shirt ALESSANDRO GHERARDI Shoes LOUIS VUITTON PREVIOUS PAGE, FROM LEFT – ELHADJI: Jacket, waistcoat, and pants ERMENEGILDO ZEGNA Shirt ALESSANDRO GHERARDI Shoes and glasses LOUIS VUITTON Shoes THOM BROWNE DIOGO: Suit and shoes ERMENEGILDO ZEGNA Shirt LARDINI Glasses MOSCOT Tie THOM BROWNE FEDERICO: Suit ERMENEGILDO ZEGNA Shirt MSGM Shoes PRADA Glasses LOUIS VUITTON Socks SARAH BORGHI SAEED: Suit GIORGIO ARMANI ABOVE, FROM LEFT – ELHADJI:

OPPOSITE PAGE, LEFT – DIOGO: Coat, turtleneck, and

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FROM LEFT – FEDERICO: Coat, suit, and

shirt THOM BROWNE SAEED: Jacket, shirt, skirt with corset, and tie THOM BROWNE MONCLER 5 CRAIG GREEN

OPPOSITE PAGE – DIOGO: Coat

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ABOVE – JEAN: Coat, pants, shoes, and

bag VALENTINO Earrings MYRIL JEWELS Socks SARAH BORGHI LARDINI Waistcoat ERMENEGILDO ZEGNA Shirt LOUIS VUITTON OPPOSITE PAGE, RIGHT – FEDERICO: Coat, blazer, and sweater MSGM Shirt ALESSANDRO GHERARDI Pants LARDINI Shoes and socks VERSACE Glasses MOSCOT Bag LOUIS VUITTON OPPOSITE PAGE, LEFT – DIOGO: Suit

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FROM LEFT – JEAN: Top

and pants ALEXANDER MCQUEEN LAURIE: Coat, shirt, and pants ALEXANDER MCQUEEN PRADA Turtleneck MSGM Pants LOUIS VUITTON Sweatshirt (tied) ERMENEGILDO ZEGNA MODELS: Saeed Oulali NOLOGO MGMT Elhadji Mar NOLOGO MGMT Federico Spinas ELITE Jean Chang BRAVE MODELS Diogo BRAVE MODELS Laurie Harding I LOVE MODELS GROOMING: Fausto Cavaleri GROOMING ASSISTANT: Simone Piacenti HAIR: Toni Pellegrino HAIR ASSISTANT: Gessica Maltese CASTING: Giusy Natale PHOTO ASSISTANT: Tiago Mulhmann STYLIST ASSISTANT: Lisa Tedeschini PRODUCTION: Passepartout4u Ltd SET/PROP DESIGNER: Lorenzo Dispensa OPPOSITE PAGE – SAEED: Jacket

The idea of men’s fashion is at once a very modern phenomenon and yet also a totally outdated concept.

Fashion is genderless, and binary sexuality is a social construct that we are finally leaving behind. Men have in fact always been into fashion— following trends and experimenting with the shapes and colors of their clothes —but for almost a century, they have had to hide their interests behind a protective armor and the repressive mask of a dark uniform.

Ultimately, the Feminist movement allowed for the evolution of the male identity, and opened a door for men to comfortably express themselves through fashion.

As we have seen on the recent runways all over the world, the separation between women’s and men’s fashion—between their respective runway shows and markets—is coming to an end. But as an industry and as consumers, we are still not ready to dissolve those distinctions entirely; to wear the same clothes and shop in the same stores. Never before have we seen such a convergence of trends, with many brands like Gucci and Balenciaga combining the presentation of their ideas for men and women on the same runway and in

the same shop. But men still have many taboos to break and many battles to win against a rock-solid tradition of inhibition and conformism. They are in a different stage of evolution, depending on where they live and their cultural norms.

L’OFFICIEL Hommes launched as a stand-alone magazine in the late 1970s, when the idea of fashion for men became not only more socially acceptable, but also was starting to become a recognized market reality. Since then, much has had to change to break down the barriers of gender conventions, and today, the global L’OFFICIEL brand aims to speak to men and women at the same time. But twice a year we also feel the need to put the focus just on men, celebrating the trailblazers who are boldly pushing boundaries in fashion, art, and culture: like our cover star Jared Leto and the legendary art duo Gilbert & George as well as the many fashion trends represented in our special ode to the new tailoring, “Power Off.” Together and in their own sartorial ways, these men are forever checking fashion’s rear-view mirror to see how far they have come—and how far they still have to go.

Jared Leto’s Worst Kept Secrets After three decades of crowd surfing off rock concert stages and profoundly transforming for the silver screen, the enigmatic actor, musician, and all-around provocateur reflects on life during a new era with pop music innovator Finneas.

Photography CAMERON McCOOL Styled by KARLA WELCH Twenty years ago, Jared Leto was high off his mind on heroin, launching himself off an illusionary Coney Island boardwalk into the great abyss. As Harry, the core fallen hero of Darren Aronofsky’s psychological drug epic Requiem for a Dream, Leto justified critical acclaim, catapulting the actor and musician (he formed cult-favorite rock outfit Thirty Seconds to Mars with his brother, Shannon, in 1998) to leadingman level after previous but buzzy supporting appearances in Girl, Interrupted and David Fincher’s Fight Club, thanks to his biting performance and agonizing methodology. For Aronofsky’s saga, Leto infamously spent several months homeless in New York City, refraining from sex and regular meals to shift physically into the emaciated look of his drugaddled character. In the two decades since, he has continued to chase the extremes—from playing a millennial supervillain in Suicide Squad to a transgender pill pusher in Dallas Buyers

Club—with subversive, somtimes bizarre performances that beg the question: are there no lengths he won’t go? Similarly, in music and fashion, Leto has dissolved the boundaries of Hollywood convention, evolving from late-aughts emo alternative to the non-confirming maximalism populated by Alessandro Michele at Gucci (for whom Jared long played muse) and a new generation of experimental TikTokers.

Indeed Leto today, with his long mane of hair and wellbuilt physique, is no longer the same skinny-jean-clad young rocker stomping the Vans Warped Tour. On the advent of Requiem’s anniversary, he speaks with long-time friend (and sometimes collaborator) Finneas O’Connell—known mononymously as Finneas and the silent power behind sister Billie Eilish–about his newfound love of rock climbing, the high of live performance, and even unreleased music.

—Joshua Glass

Jacket, shirt, and pants SAINT LAURENT OPPOSITE PAGE – Blazer and pants FEAR OF GOD X ERMENEGILDO ZEGNA Shirt XKARLA Shoes G.H. BASS & CO. PREVIOUS PAGE – Shirt SAINT LAURENT

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I read an interview that you did entitled “I Like to Employ the Power of No” that really informed how I’ve gone about my [own] career, and I think the way Billie has, too.

You are so definitive and thoughtful in every choice you make, and I wanted to ask you if you can think of anything that you regretted saying no to? Something that seemed like the right thing to pass on at the time that years later you thought, Man, I should’ve done that?

FINNEAS:

I love to work, I love to find solutions to problems, so I really have to watch the amount of work that I take on, because everything you say yes to is a no to something else.

But when you do say no, it’s a yes to another opportunity. I remember hearing Steve Jobs say to Jony Ive that sacrifice isn’t saying no to something you don’t really care about, sacrifice is actually saying no to something that could be a valuable experience. I think about that often because sacrificing is really important. I don’t really think in terms of regret, but if I were to put some things in that pile, it would probably be less about turning down movies or opportunities and more about spending more time climbing mountains and being in the outdoors. There’s a time limit on that, and it’s something I wish I’d done more of in my life.

JARED LETO:

F: Fulfillment comes in small doses, especially for professional artists. There’s some level of it in making an album, of course, or I’m assuming making a film, but then there’s also so much brain space that is spent thinking about your next project, or the chorus of that one song that you haven’t cracked yet, etc. So the notion that climbing brings you so much pure satisfaction brings me so much joy. You’re in a position where you probably give a lot of advice to people—I’ve definitely asked you for advice—but I want to know whose advice you seek out, if anyone’s?

You can be working on an album and on top of the world one day because you’ve had a breakthrough, and then three weeks later you hate it. I often go through that rollercoaster of dissatisfaction and surprise and excitement, and I think that’s the nice thing about climbing for me. The outdoors, the simplicity, the base instinct that compels you to be completely in the moment. There are a lot of people I turn to for advice.

When I’m making music, it can be someone like you, which I’ve done a few times. I actually finished one of the demos we worked on together, I should send it to you to hear. It’s quite cool. It’s super weird and super dark, which is my favorite and I think yours, too. The good thing about making films is that you have the director, the writers, the editors, and other actors to work with. I was on the phone the other day doing ADR [voice recording] for Morbius, and I stopped and asked the technicians a sound question that I had always thought about. I guess I’m just obsessed with learning; I’m hypercurious and I just want to learn all the time.

JL:

F: That’s probably why you’re so good at so many things. I think you’re also afforded the luxury of having the people whose advice you’re seeking often being the experts in their respective fields.

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I like to learn from my friends, too...how they spend their spare time...who’s in their social lives...what their friendships and families are like. I have a long way to go with all of those things because I’ve been so hyper-focused on my career goals and ambitions for so many years. I’m finally making more time for other things in my life now, so that’s something I could learn a lot from you and other people.

JL:

F: You were really kind to me and Billie way before anyone was aware of us, and for that we feel very grateful. I mean, we feel grateful to know you at all, but especially when we met, we were in so much need of counseling. I remember you telling us that when you first started, nobody wanted to sign your band. I thought that was so wild to hear because your music played such an instrumental role in my adolescence.

Was that really the case? Were there not a flurry of deals thrown at you immediately?

JL: No, but I think part of the problem might have been us.

[Laughing.] It was complicated, and it was for a long time even after we were signed. We didn’t really have any success for about seven or eight years, and our first breakthrough wasn’t until 2006 with the song “The Kill.” And even then—I mean I’ve told this story so many times—but at one point, radio stations refused to play us. MTV said they would never, ever buy into the Thirty Seconds to Mars business ever! Since then we’ve gone on to win two dozen MTV awards and play on probably a dozen different MTV awards shows around the world. We became great partners, but we went from a net negative to crawling our way out and having more success than we ever imagined. I have so much gratitude for all those experiences. When you’re starting out, you’re looking forward. The main drivers for me were fear and failure, but when I look back, it’s gratitude. Even when I look forward now it’s gratitude, so it’s good to get to that place.

I wasn’t always hip to the notion that you’ve directed a bunch of your videos under a pseudonym. It’s a thing that Thirty Seconds to Mars and my sister have in common: the visual component is so strong that it makes the music even more engaging. I’ve heard for years that you don’t watch

F:

ABOVE – Sweatshirt

VINTAGE Jeans GUCCI SAINT LAURENT OPPOSITE PAGE, RIGHT – Shirt SAINT LAURENT OPPOSITE PAGE, LEFT – Shirt

the movies—or even the trailers—that you’re in, so I was wondering if directing a music video is challenging, since you have to watch your own performance?

JL: Oddly, it doesn’t bother me at all, but I’d have a completely different relationship to that if I were a film director. As an actor, I find it better to let go of that control or responsibility once you finish the scene. With the exception of “Rescue Me” that Mark Romanek did, I’ve directed all of the Thirty Seconds to Mars videos under the pseudonym Bartholomew Cubbins. It’s one of my worst-kept secrets, but it’s been fun for me because I had the opportunity to work a little more in a vacuum without the pressures that come along with it.

When I release an album I spend as much time on the music videos and visual components as I do the songs themselves.

Maybe it’s because I was an art school dropout; I always wanted to be a painter.

WHEN YOU’RE starting OUT, YOU’RE LOOKING forward.

THE MAIN DRIVERS for ME WERE FEAR and FAILURE, but WHEN I LOOK BACK, it’s GRATITUDE. EVEN WHEN I look FORWARD NOW it’s GRATITUDE. I know that none of us are playing shows this year, obviously, but last summer you did a terrifying number of shows in a super limited amount of time across Europe. Weren’t you playing every day for some seven weeks?

F:

JL: We historically have always played a lot. We used to call our agent and complain if we had a day off, so it was common for us to do shows 21 days straight, 18 days straight, and then 14 days straight. If we had a day off in the middle, we’d be like, What the hell are we doing? Can we play another show? It’s funny, early on in the band’s career I was in Cannes. Requiem for Dream was debuting at the film festival, and—as you know—I don’t typically watch my movies. Darren Aronofsky pretty much put me in a headlock. He dragged me to the premiere and said, “You have to watch the film, you have to be a part of this experience, walk the steps of the [Boulevard de la] Croisette,” and I did. I watched the movie. I sat next to

I’m in the same place; if the lights are just off by a couple milliseconds, I’ll notice. If there’s some kid getting into a fight with someone else, I’ll notice. All while I’m still performing and playing my bass guitar and singing along to the song. It’s really amazing how attentive you can be on stage.

F:

JL: Yeah, your brain can compartmentalize quite a bit, especially when you’re in that state of fight or flight, and high consequence. But there’s also the thing where it can be me, my brother, and 40,000 people, and I feel completely relaxed and at peace. You would never think that would be the case, but I’ve had those moments of just the complete absence of discomfort, and that’s a really incredible feeling. Intimacy, you know. But what do you think the future of touring is?

Now I look at photos of me from before, standing on top of the crowd or running through an audience at Rock Am Ring [Festival] of 100,000 people, and I’m like, Is that going to happen again?

Hubert Selby Jr. As the lights came on, he and I looked over to each other in tears. The whole place was on its feet giving a standing ovation. Later that night we went to Elton John’s house with the cast. Elton’s a real supporter of and believer in young artists, and he’s really got his ear to the ground.

We were talking that night and I told him that music was actually how I started my career. He told me, “Tour, tour, tour again, and when you’re done with that, tour some more.”

It was really Elton who reaffirmed and encouraged me to double down on the live shows because they were so lifechanging for him. Of course, you can hear something from a famous superstar and it can go in one ear and out the other, but what he said really made an impact on me.

F:

I think about the role psychedelics have played in my life.

JL:

Cue “Tiny Dancer.”

I don’t do drugs, not by virtue of being pointedly straightedge, it’s just not tremendously interesting to me—

F:

JL:

It’s ok, I’ve done enough for both of us, and your sister too.

F: —but the greatest feeling is being on stage, I don’t think there’s anything that rivals the power of that position in front of however many people in the audience, with everyone singing along and in the palm of your hand. Jared, you have a super multi-faceted life, do you still have that same feeling of bliss and euphoria when you’re on stage playing a great show?

JL: Yeah, it is the greatest feeling, and you’re right that there’s not a drug in the world that can compete with running around in Yosemite or standing on stage in Paris or London.

When I’m performing, I am still working. I’m going, Why is it the audience on the left side isn’t as enthusiastic? Or I’ll see that one kid down there and I make it my mission to make him have the best night of his entire life. I’m always thinking about the music cues or if a note was flat, so yes, I’m always working, but I also try to get to a place where I can let go and really be in the show. Those moments are glorious.

F: I think so. When, I don’t know. But it will. Billie and I have parents in their 60s, so they’re in a higher risk percentage, and she has asthma, so I’ve been really careful. I think most people are pretty bored out of their minds in this pandemic, though. So I think as soon as people are told that it’s even halfway safe to go to Coachella again, they will. People seem to value joyous experiences over 100 percent safety. That seems to be the reality of it. I totally agree with you, though; looking at footage from past concerts, it all seems like total lunacy.

JL: There’s one photo that someone sent me of me standing on a barricade with maybe a thousand hands reaching out to touch mine. Even after the vaccine, I think we’re still gonna be like, Can I get a wet wipe or something? I don’t know. But I do think you’re right, people are ready to get back out and get together and celebrate life and all the possibilities and just have a good fucking time. I know I am.

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Seeing DOUBLE

Legendary art duo Gilbert & George reunite with London compatriot and fashion designer Jonathan Anderson to muse about dualities in life and artistic practice.

By PAMELA GOLBIN

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If you put a suit from every decade of the last hundred years into a computer and you press the average button, it would come up with something like the suits we wear every day. We also quite like Oscar Wilde, who of course said that fashion is horrible, which is why it has to change so often.

JONATHAN ANDERSON: Gilbert & George, I was very influenced by your work when I was at university, and I thought our collaboration [in 2018 with JW Anderson] was a very good platform to speak to younger people about it. There’s a beauty in British humor that I’ve always liked. When you look at the early-‘80s series that you did, the men are incredibly seductive. They are people that you want to look up to. Our collaboration was ultimately about my admiration.

IT WAS VERY IMPORTANT that FROM the BEGINNING WE WERE NOT MAKING the ART. We WERE THE ART. —GILBERT

As a masterful monochord pair, Gilbert & George flawlessly perform their score where one begins a sentence and the other completes it. They are two voices but one answer.

The so-British artistic couple are matched not only in thought but also in their fixed uniform costumes, which are complementary in color and have become their brand image since their inauguration in 1967 while studying sculpture at Saint Martin’s School of Art in London.

With his youthful look and rebellious wick, like a wisp in perpetual motion, northern Irishman Jonathan Anderson seems to be in perfect contrast. He divides his time between his own brand, JW Anderson, and the Spanish luxury house Loewe. Known for his quirky sartorial signature, Anderson found his latest inspiration in the motto of his fellow compatriot, Oscar Wilde: “The secret of life is in art.” The fashion designer doesn’t hide his admiration for Gilbert & George’s work, though, having collaborated with the duo previously in 2018, and reminds us in passing how much the generations continue to influence each other.

PAMELA GOLBIN: Do you believe there is a relationship between art and fashion?

GILBERT: None. Absolutely none. We never looked at fashion.

When we started to walk the streets of London in 1968, we wanted to be ourselves in a big way. That’s why we owned the suits of— GEORGE: —the suits of our responsibility. As lower-class people, we believe that it’s very important that you put on a suit for an important occasion. If you go out for a job or go to a wedding or a funeral or a christening, you put on a suit. And we believe that every single day of our life is very important.

Jonathan, you were recently named to the board of the Victoria & Albert Museum in London.

JA: Yes, and it’s interesting Gilbert & George mentioned Oscar Wilde. When I do think of suiting, Oscar Wilde’s chocolate velvet suit stands out, and the V&A just recently acquired it.

George, you’re very right. Other than lapels and the waist, the suit has had really only subtle changes throughout the last hundred years.

GEORGE: We always want to stand out and blend in at the same time. There’s also an enormous practicality to suits: you are hardly ever searched at airports, and you can get a table at any restaurant in the world.

GILBERT: It was very important that from the beginning we were not making the art. We were the art.

PG:

PG: Could you say that wearing your “Sunday best” has allowed you to get away with murder?

GILBERT: Oh we do! We still do get away with murder, yes. We were able to hide in a big and fantastic way.

GEORGE: Dressed like this we can do whatever we want. The city suit is the modern version of the Norman Knight. It’s male armor, yes?

JA: Yes! I always think the inside of a suit is so fascinating. I am particularly attracted to the chest’s canvas: the sponginess and the horse hair. There’s something about the materials that, when put together, become this strange-like membrane.

Gilbert & George, 2015 © Gilbert & George. Courtesy the artists and Lehmann Maupin, New York and Hong Kong, Seoul, and London (throughout).

OPPOSITE PAGE, CLOCKWISE FROM TOP: Gilbert & George with their Object Sculptures on the roof of St Martin’s School of Art, London, 1968; Jonathan Anderson’s debut Spring/Summer 2015 collection for Loewe; A portrait of the designer.

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For you, Jonathan, what is fashion’s role?

I grew up in Northern Ireland. Fashion was never really embraced as much. Clothing for me really became a form of a weapon. We all become characters in some way when we’re going to work or going for a night out. Fashion can be used for comfort and excess or it can be used as a way of protecting oneself. Ultimately, it can be a very powerful character tool. I like sitting in a park and seeing what people are wearing. I am interested in their attitude, in what makes them hold themselves. Fashion is powerful in the way that you can really tell the period that you’re in.

GILBERT: But for us, fashion is against our religion. It really is because we made the decision to put our suits on and, like a monk, it’s for life.

GEORGE: We also realized many, many years ago as baby artists that the young people in the city of London who wore suits had to throw them out every two years. They had to buy new suits to stay fashionable while we always had the same one.

GEORGE: Not completely the same but roughly the same all the time.

PG: JA:

Whereas Gilbert & George are two people but one artist, Jonathan, you are one designer with a double persona. You design for both your own brand, JW Anderson, and the Spanish luxury house Loewe.

JA: I don’t know if you’ve seen the movie Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory with Gene Wilder, who, as Willy, has to be told not to do something to do it. I don’t believe that clothing is either for a man or a woman. It is what you feel that you want to put on. All of this came through when I was a young kid and would go shopping with my mother, who would say, “A woman’s closure goes one way and a man’s closure goes the other.” That felt ridiculous to me, and it led me to go out and agitate the norms with JW. At Loewe, I feel like I’m a chic-er form of myself. That is if I was to become calmer or more respectful. And the best part is that I have the Eurostar to get myself into character by the time I get to [Loewe’s headquarters in] Paris.

PG:

ON THIS PAGE, CLOCKWISE FROM TOP: The

art duo performing “The Singing Sculpture” in 1992; “Trapped,” 1980, by Gilbert & George, “Union Dance,” 2008, by Gilbert & George.

Gilbert & George, you have been working on a series of works entitled the New Normal. How has that process been?

GEORGE: We’re very excited. We really feel that we’ve “hit it off,” as they say.

GILBERT: The idea came from walking the streets of Spitalfields.

We wanted to find a name that could explain “existentialism” in English. And it’s not “normal,” normal would be that. We always call the new pictures “new,” so New Normal pictures.

PG:

The pandemic has caused incredible disruption both in the art and fashion worlds. The art fairs are now viewing rooms and fashion are phygital endeavors. How has this changed your processes?

GILBERT: It hasn’t at all because at the moment we have full exhibitions still going on, so we’ve been working day and night. We never stopped for one single day through the entire pandemic, not once.

JA: Well, fashion has really changed. I think it was coming to the end of its cycle anyway, and the coronavirus obliterated it. It has marked fashion in the face and said, “It’s time to change.” It’s a scary moment for fashion, but at the same time I find it quite liberating. I have more time to contemplate on clothing and even read more. What I have found very challenging at the moment, especially living in London, is the widening economic distance between people.

GEORGE: Our main message has always been that never in our lifetimes have people been more privileged than as now. We are all spoiled brats!

PG:

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What can we do about it?

The artist is not here to congratulate them or pat them on the back for being the way they are. The artist is here to show them that there are other possible ways.

GILBERT: We like the idea of confronting the viewer to its difficult sorts. That for us is art.

GEORGE: We are often asked why we want to be provocative.

We’re not provocative, certainly not. We would never like to be provocative—we simply want to provoke thought.

PG:

GEORGE:

“Art for All” has been your motto for a long time.

We came to that title in 1969. We wanted to make art that everybody was able to read or get something out of.

PG:

GILBERT:

PG: Do you think there can be a “Fashion for All” or something similar?

JA: I do. Sometimes fashion can be very easily pigeonholed into an elite art form, but whether we like it or not we are all involved in fashion. We all interact with it on a daily basis.

I do think we are indirectly involved in this weird public experiment of dressing up.

GILBERT: Fashion is enormous. It’s much bigger than art because everybody wants to dress up as a big queen and walk the streets of London, no? That’s it. And art is just a referee in some way. We all want to be different. We don’t want to be the same, except us.

FASHION can BE USED for COMFORT and EXCESS or IT CAN BE USED AS A WAY of PROTECTING ONESELF. ULTIMATELY, IT can BE a VERY POWERFUL CHARACTER TOOL. —JONATHAN ANDERSON

Jonathan, how do you see your creative role?

I see myself as curating ideas, bringing different people into rooms to collaborate on different projects. Loewe has an art foundation that promotes and awards prizes in the fields of poetry, dance, photography, and arts and craft.

And I think it’s very important. One of my biggest heroes is William Morris, and I always thought that he was really about putting craftspeople first. Initially, Loewe began PG: JA:

ON THIS PAGE, CLOCKWISE FROM TOP: Two

looks from the Loewe Fall/Winter 2020 men’s show; A sweater, bag, and jacket from the 2018 JW Anderson x Gilbert & George capsule collection.

as a German cooperative of craftspeople. To this day, the descendants of the original generation are still working at the factory. Ultimately, they’re master craftsmen. They tell me what to do, because they know how to work with the medium of leather, which is incredibly difficult. It is something that was alive, and then has to be reengineered into another shape.

It is a skill that is learned and passed on from generation to generation.

GILBERT: We have been quite involved with the Arts and Crafts movement. We probably have one of the biggest collections of that period.

GEORGE: Our art is handmade, but nobody will see that and we don’t want them to, anyway. We want them to think that it’s shot straight from the heads and the sex onto the wall.

JA: I’ve been very privileged to come to your home and have seen the kind of paradox between Arts and Crafts and your external vision. It has this madness in the juxtaposition.

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JA: I was asked by the Barbara Hepworth museum in Wakefield to collaborate on an exhibition project.

At the same time, a museum institution in London invited me to do a retrospective. I thought it was a very strange thing to do at my age at the time. It was also during an odd political moment in Britain.

I was fed up with everything in London and with big institutions, so I decided that it was better to do it in Wakefield because I felt it was about not making it so London-centric. I came up with the idea of looking at how artists, fashion designers, architects, potters, and dancers interpreted the body including works from Eileen Gray to Jean Arp. It was a strange process. It took three years to do the show and complete it, but it was an amazing experience.

How does seduction play into your work?

Very important. We want to seduce the viewer. We want the viewer to at least say, “What the hell am I supposed to think?” We want them to go away and be different. We like it when the elderly gentleman with two walking sticks comes over and says, “This is a tremendous exhibition as it sure scares the hell out of me.” We want to affect.

GILBERT: And we do.

PG:

GEORGE:

What is the importance of luck in your life and in your work?

Ah! Fate! It’s all about accidents with fate. Everything that we do is by accident and nothing else. What do you think, George?

GEORGE: When we go to the studio to create new pictures, we go empty-headed. We lift the pictures out from inside of ourselves without being conscious of what we’re doing.

If we were conscious in our planning, we would never do the pictures that we do.

PG:

GILBERT:

Jonathan, in 2016 you curated an exhibition, Disobedient Bodies. What was that like?

PG:

PG: What did you explore with this show?

I was looking at how classical sculpture has been based around our interpretations of the body. I like the idea of ornamentation; that the body becomes this sort of vessel.

You’re decorating a precious object which is the human form.

For me, the show was about breaking the rules. I learned the importance of breaking them in any art form to find oneself.

JA:

We’re NOT PROVOCATIVE, CERTAINLY not.

We WOULD NEVER LIKE to BE PROVOCATIVE—WE SIMPLY WANT to provoke THOUGHT. —GEORGE

How do you define beauty and what is its role in your work?

We always say that beauty is there to carry the message. And the colors and shapes are never there to please.

They’re there to serve the purpose of bringing the message from us to the viewer.

GILBERT: What is good and what is bad is changing every single day, every time. And we want to be part of that, deciding it.

GEORGE: Laws are changing all over the world, all the time.

Culture is the greatest force. We always say “ban religion” and “decriminalize sex.” Those are our two main mottos.

GILBERT: We want to free ourselves from religion.

GEORGE: I’m always amazed when people ask what we mean by that. They don’t know that as we speak now, there are people lying on the floor of police cells in more than a hundred PG:

GEORGE:

ON THIS PAGE, CLOCKWISE FROM TOP: “Bloody

by Gilbert & George.

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Mooning,” 1996, by Gilbert & George; “Playboy,” 2011,

in front of one of your works with full pleasure and leave with pleasure. It’s incredibly humbling and remarkable.

How did you find your signatures?

Well that’s a very interesting and simple story. Unlike the other students, when we left university, we didn’t have a family safety net. We didn’t have any money, but we knew that we were artists. We wandered the streets of London to find life. We were walking near the Euston station, and found a shop selling second-hand things, all the unwanted bits: lampshades, last year’s telephone, and all the detritus PG:

GEORGE:

countries all over the world, famished, without knowing whether they will be executed or not just for having sex. It’s the same with banned religion. We know it’s true because one day we had a knock on our door. It was an elderly clergyman that said, “We love that thing you’re doing, ‘Ban religion,’ it’s marvelous.” I said, “Thank you very much, perhaps you can tell me why you think that?”“Oh, it’s very simple,” he said.

“I’m getting on with my congregation on Sunday. They’re all friends of mine, and are rather religious, but I don’t want them to be religious. I want them to be good.” Great moment.

JA: You guys are so generous and so giving. I think that’s why I love you. When I look at your work, I’m just teleported.

There is not much art out there that is so generous. I can sit

of human life. Inside we found a record, which was called Underneath the Arches. We thought that it was very strange; very near where we lived at the time, there were tramps underneath the arches like that. We took it to a friend who had a gramophone, and we were astonished. The lyrics identified with how we saw life every day in the East End of London. “The risk we never signed for, the culture they can keep, there’s only one place that I know and...”

GILBERT & GEORGE: [Together singing] “...That is where we sleep.

Underneath the arches, I dream my dreams away. Underneath the arches, on cobblestones we lay, every night you’ll find me, tired out and worn…”

GEORGE: And that was the moment we found life.

GILBERT: After that we never changed.

GEORGE: Art was life and life was art. All together.

JA: I don’t think I’d ever be able to beat that act! I feel like I still haven’t found my signature style yet. There’s always a kind of search for something.

Details from the JW Anderson Fall/Winter 2020 men’s show; Loewe’s Spring/Summer 2018 campaign photographed by Steven Meisel; Images from Disobedient Bodies, the exhibition curated by Jonathan Anderson at The Hepworth Wakefield.

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You know the look. The tailored double-breasted jacket, the wide-set shoulders, the three-piece routine. Glorified in ‘80s-era boardroom assemblies and late lunch to predinner drinking sprees at the old Four Seasons on 52nd St. in Manhattan, dressing powerfully has always been more than the fancy getup. It’s a fierce brashness, a lifestyle not earned slowly over time but seized in a last-minute deal and revered over dry martinis with a twist. One thinks of Richard Gere with a plumped up camel hair polo coat by Giorgio Armani in American Gigolo or the turnback cuffed dress shirts that Michael Douglas wore beneath chest-hugging suspenders as Gordon Gekko in Wall Street. All this to say: the fancy getup is, but of course, key. As American women soon moved into offices and up the corporate ladder, so too did their cinematic counterparts, dressed to the nines in padded shoulders and rich, roll-neck sweaters. The female “power suit” delivered the first round of blows against the professional glass ceiling.

Flash forward to now, when the certainty and excess of yesterday has been recalled for ease and colloquial ambiguity.

Push notifications over parlor cocktails, sweatpants over the suit and tie. The Four Seasons—like much of corporate and professional life—is no longer open, and the world we stare at through computer and mobile screens looks very different

than before. With life at home and social interactions either divided waist-up by telecommunications or kept casual over dinner served across open sidewalks, getting dressed just doesn’t feel quite the same. Will the decadence of before ever realign with our new reality?

The runway seems positive, at least, as designers reviewed men’s tailoring with a charmed perspective this fall. Miuccia Prada’s Fall/Winter 2020 collection, for instance, contrasted shrunken knit separates with monochromatic classic wool suits, whereas in another world Virgil Abloh’s Louis Vuitton projected all-over cloud-printed and leather-embellished sharp-fit suiting with flashes of ruffles and utilitarian details.

We’ve seen this teeter-tottering of traditional tailoring umpteen times as athleisure and comfort offer quite a strong argument for today, but perhaps we’re on the precipice of something different. In this fashion portfolio of menswear photographed around the world, L’OFFICIEL rethinks what dressing looks like without the powers we’ve grown used to. Is it flamboyant, with decorative hardware adorning each enclave of the tailored ensemble? Or perhaps it’s more nostalgic with a revisited ‘80s frame. As culture continues to shift, so too do our uniforms of confidence.

—Joshua Glass

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DeCOdiNg DRESS

With the office environment reimagined, new standards of attire allow for a little wiggle room.

Photography RICHIE TALBOY Styled by DANIEL GAINES

Blazer GIVENCHY Sweater GABRIELA HEARST Shirt PRADA Tie HERMÈS OPPOSITE PAGE – MBAYE: Blazer, shirt, and tie VERSACE PREVIOUS PAGE – MAXIMILIAN: Coat and shirt DIOR Tie VINTAGE

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JAYDEN:

Blazer and shirt CANALI Tie VINTAGE PRADA Tie STYLIST’S OWN

OPPOSITE PAGE – SAIDOU: Shirt

Blazer and shirt GABRIELA HEARST Tie VINTAGE TOM FORD Sweater BRUNELLO CUCINELLI Shirt CANALI Tie VINTAGE MODELS: Maximilian HEROES Saidou HEROES Donovan NEXT MANAGEMENT Damien NEXT MANAGEMENT Jayden IMG Mbaye MUSE Luke NÖNI HAIR: Eric Williams using Kerastase USA STREETERS GROOMING: Mariko Arai using Shiseido THE WALL GROUP HAIR ASSISTANT: Karla Serrano CASTING: Joseph Charles Viola ABOVE – MAXIMILIAN:

OPPOSITE PAGE – DAMIEN: Blazer

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ROME WHEN in

The suiting matches the city: Time-tested, passionate, classic shapes that will endure.

Photography FILIP KOLUDROVIC Styled by LUCA FALCIONI

ABOVE

– Blazer and shirt FENDI Earring MARCO DE LUCA Coat, top, pants, and shoes GIVENCHY PREVIOUS PAGE – Cape LOEWE Boots FENDI

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ABOVE

– Blazer and shirt CANALI Earring and rings MARCO DE LUCA OPPOSITE PAGE – Coat, shirt, and pants PRADA

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– Blazer and turtleneck TOM FORD Earring MARCO DE LUCA sweater BOTTEGA VENETA HAIR: Danilo Spacca GROOMING: Claudia De Simone MODEL: Alessio Pozzi ELITE MILANO CASTING: Timi Letonja STYLIST ASSISTANTS: Carolina Spezzi and Claudio Dianetti ABOVE

OPPOSITE PAGE – Coat, shirt, and

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BOLD

type

With rich materials, deeply saturated colors, and sharp angles, this season’s pieces leave nothing to spare.

Photography RICARDO GOMES Styled by LUCA FALCIONI

Blazer, turtleneck, and scarf BERLUTI Hat RUSLAN BAGINSKIY Earring ALAN CROCETTI hat GIVENCHY Shoes GUCCI Earring ALAN CROCETTI PREVIOUS PAGE – Blazer and shirt ALEXANDER MCQUEEN Hat RUSLAN BAGINSKIY Sunglasses GENTLE MONSTER OPPOSITE PAGE – Blazer, top, pants, and

OPPOSITE PAGE – Blazer

Suit and shirt MSGM Hat STEPHEN JONES and hat VERSACE Earring and ring ALAN CROCETTI Neckace VINTAGE

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Blazer, shirt, turtleneck, and pants BOTTEGA VENETA Shoes GUCCI Hat STEPHEN JONES Neckace ALAN CROCETTI OPPOSITE PAGE – Blazer VERSACE Hat STEPHEN JONES Earrings and brooch ALAN CROCETTI Neckace VINTAGE MODEL: Reece Nelson IMG LONDON GROOMING: Brady Lea PRODUCTION: Federica Barletta STYLIST ASSISTANTS: Silvia Vitali and Jiois Gallo

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Manor BORN To the

A languid afternoon showcases the most opulent textures and patterns.Â

Photography GUILLAUME MALHEIRO Styled by CELINE BOURREAU & RAPHAEL DE CASTRO

ABOVE, FROM LEFT – THOMAS: Shirt and pants VALENTINO LAMINE: Shirt and pants VALENTINO PREVIOUS PAGE, FROM LEFT - THOMAS: Shirt, pants, and bag RYNSHU LAMINE: Shirt and pants MSGM TURNER: Coat SEAN SUEN

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ABOVE, FROM LEFT – LAMINE: Suit and shirt MSGM Shoes CHRISTIAN LOUBOUTIN TURNER: Coat and sweater DRIES VAN NOTEN Pants MSGM Shoes GIUSEPPE ZANOTTI

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ABOVE, FROM LEFT – TURNER: Jacket, sweater, pants, and shoes BALMAIN LAMINE: Jacket, shirt, pants, and tie BALMAIN THOMAS: Vest, shirt, and pants BALMAIN OPPOSITE PAGE, FROM LEFT – TURNER: Coat DIOR LAMINE: Coat and earring DIOR

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ABOVE – LAMINE: Coat HERMÈS OPPOSITE PAGE – THOMAS: Suit GIORGIO ARMANI MODELS: Lamine Faty, Turner Barbur, and Thomas Hilaire THE CLAW MODELS HAIR: Simon Chossier B AGENCY GROOMING: Ophelie Crommar

LA FRENCHIE AGENCY PRODUCTION: M Studio Paris Special thanks to Château de Ferrière

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A RARE

gaze

Modest, delicate, and sensitive, Viggo Mortensen’s first feature film behind the camera reflects the very notions we have of its multi-disciplinary author.

By BAPTISTE PIÉGAY Photography QUENTIN DE BRIEY

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Falling, the directorial debut by acclaimed actor Viggo Mortensen, is quite literal. It’s the story of a decline, or rather, the totality of the act when Willis (played by the sensationally nuanced Lance Henriksen) is struck by a neurodegenerative disease. From the birth of his son, John (played by Mortensen himself) and his adolescence when he comes out as gay, to Willis’ own adult life, the evocative film patiently travels between the past and present. Never seeking to make an inherently detestable character—Willis is homophobic and vaguely racist—lovable, though, Falling offers a look at the dualing complexities of humanity. With great delicacy, Mortensen recounts distress in the face of illness as well as the tender realization that life must persist.

I have NEVER LOOKED at ACTING AS A FORM of ARTISTIC EXPRESSION SEPARATE from OTHER MODES of EXPRESSION.

The rhythm of the story and the use of relative silence in many of the scenes in Falling was dictated by the story itself.

The non-verbal reactions from the characters—especially on the part of Willis—were as important as any line of dialogue.

As far as music use, I generally do not like it when a score seems intended to overtly instruct me, the spectator, on how I should think or feel about the story. In the case of Falling, I knew long before we shot the movie that it was a story that required a fairly discrete score.

VM:

Did you have a mood board that you and cinematographer Marcel Zyskind kept as a reference for the look and feel of the film?

Not exactly. I did share a lot of images with Marcel a long time before shooting—some that were mine and some by other artists—and he shared some with me as well. I also shared with him quite a few movies that I thought had a visual resemblance in terms of lighting choices, camera positions, and framing to what I imagined Falling should look like. Well before the main shoot we had a very good idea about what we wanted to achieve.

One thing that was very helpful was that we started filming together more than eight months before principal photography started in the areas that we would eventually be shooting in.

We did this even before we actually had the money to make the movie. The idea was to start amassing a collection of imagery in the movie’s rural locations shot over different seasons for use as the subjective visual memory fragments of the characters. Not only did we achieve that goal but we got to know each other well as a team. We also found that our visual æsthetics regarding Falling were quite similar.

VM:

A song can start with a melody, line, or rhythm. When did you start thinking about writing Falling, and did you start with a specific scene in mind?

VIGGO MORTENSEN: The story idea came to me after my mother’s funeral. I wanted to explore my memories of her and, by extension, my memories of her relationship with my father and of the upbringing I shared with my brothers. The movie turned out to be my directorial debut because it was the first story that I was able to raise enough money to make. Twenty-four years ago I tried to find financing for a movie I had written and wanted to direct, and since then I have tried on repeat occasion with other scripts. It took me a couple of tries and almost four years to get Falling made.

L’O: Was there anything that you learned from past directors that you brought to the set of Falling?

Although I don’t consciously imitate anyone’s work or style, I assume that everything I have seen and heard in my life has influenced my way of telling stories. I’ve also been fortunate to have had many good directors over the years as well, and I have OPPOSITE AND PREVIOUS PAGE — Blazer

Falling is an incredibly patient film, and lets contemplation become a part of the storytelling. Was that something you had in mind when you were writing the film or that felt natural when you were shooting?

L’O:

LO:

L’OFFICIEL:

VM:

learned a lot from watching movies that I have not been a part of as an actor. There are various examples of screenwriting, production design, photography, and editing, for example, that I have admired—and disliked. Three important things that I have observed from other directors are: one, prepare the shoot as thoroughly and as early as possible; two, remain constantly open to suggestions and questions from the cast and crew; and three, be present for every second of the editing process.

L’O: As an actor first, what kind of relationships do you enjoy with other directors?

I like directors who are extremely well-prepared and know what they want to accomplish. But they also need to be secure enough as individuals to remain open to suggestions and questions.

VM:

L’O:

How was it working with your cast for Falling?

VM: I tried to adapt to the needs of each actor and to keep the lines of communication open. The younger actors understandably needed a bit more guidance than the adults, but I also tried to give them the freedom to come up with their own natural reactions as much as possible.

and pants RAF SIMONS Sweater TAGLIATORE

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L’O: What was also really striking about the film is that the viewer is never judgmental towards Willis. Was keeping a fair balance important? And in a broader context, is that an approach to life that you follow?

VM: Yes. No person is only one thing. When I prepare any character as an actor or create one as a writer, I always look to bring out the contradictions that any person can be characterized by however predictable or steady they might initially seem.

Is agreeing to a project about finding some part of yourself in the part, or is it the contrary; do you look for something totally alien to you?

L’O:

VM: I do not initially look for myself in a character, but, rather, I look for a story that interests me and that I personally would be interested in seeing as a spectator. Once I have accepted, however, I do look for a connection, and look to explore and possibly accentuate aspects of my own personality or a personality that would be useful in the construction of that character. In principle, there is no character imaginable that I could not empathize with and find some aspect of myself within. Each role I play eventually involves a search for what I have in common with the character, however slight or partial that connection might be. The rest of the construction of the character involves the use of my imagination, which I do not consider to have limitations.

: What informs your work once you’ve agreed on a part and before you start shooting?

of the movies I had seen and enjoyed many years ago I liked just as much or better than I had when I originally viewed them, and others I liked less—including scenes I had previously thought were well shot, directed, and acted. So, I think that what inspires me evolves, or, rather, that I evolve in such a way that different movie sequences tend to make an impression on me at any given time.

I DO not GIVE FASHION or STYLE MUCH THOUGHT. FASHION SEEMS quite EPHEMERAL TO ME, and ITS APPEAL haphazard.

L’O

L’O

VM: I ask myself the question that has an infinite amount and depth of answers about the character I am going to play: “What happened in this person’s life before page one of the screenplay?”

: You write poetry, you play music. When you started acting, did you always see yourself as expanding your interests?

L’O

VM: I have never looked at acting as a form of artistic expression separate from other modes of expression. Writing, photography, directing, composing, and playing music are all types of communication.

In my opinion, they’re all different languages and dialects, hence they’re all related. They are all branches of the same tree.

: In an era when pretty much everybody has a social network presence, you do not. Is staying private the only way to stay mentally healthy in the show-business industry?

L’O

VM: There are not enough hours in the day as it is, so I have no interest in adding another task that I find to be mostly frivolous and an enormous waste of time and energy.

L’O: Are there any scenes or movies that have struck you and that have stayed with you years later?

VM: What I am inspired by at any given time varies, but there are many moments that I continue to remember affectionately. At the same time, other scenes I have been drawn to seem to lose their lustre over time. During the pandemic lockdown period this past winter and spring, I rewatched many movies that I hadn’t seen in a long time in addition to seeing quite a few stories new to me. Some OPPOSITE PAGE—Coat STYLIST: Simonez Wolf GROOMING:

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: What specifically has impressed or influenced you recently?

: I recently read Richard Ovenden’s Burning the Books, which I greatly enjoyed and learned a lot from. The same goes for Walter Kempowski’s All For Nothing and Colum McCann’s Apeirogon.

I also was inspired by rewatching Ettore Scola’s Una Giornata Particolare (“A Special Day”), Alain Resnais’ Hiroshima Mon Amour, Jean Vigo’s L’Atalante, and Mario Camus’ Los Santos Inocentes (“The Holy Innocents”), among other movies. As far as music goes, I’ve been listening quite a bit to jazz pianist Bill Evans, trumpet player and composer Ibrahim Maalouf, classical pianist Martha Argerich, and the band Skating Polly.

VM

L’O

: What’s your relationship with fashion and style?

VM: I do not give fashion or style much thought. Fashion seems quite ephemeral to me, and its appeal haphazard. A person’s style, however, seems to come from their being at ease and comfortable with themselves. If a person doesn’t allow what others say about them to intimidate or limit them in any way, they tend to be at relative ease—that could be considered their style.

L’O: Looking back at your career, do you see the roles you’ve picked as an actor as reliable evidence of your evolution as a person? Do these movies reflect your biography?

VM: We are defined by all the choices we make on big and small matters every single day. So, yes, I suppose that the roles I have performed—and how I originally performed them, regardless of how they have been edited—are a part of my personal history and evolution. I would venture to say, however, that how I interact with and treat people—the degree of courtesy and respect I afford each person I meet whether at work or in my private life—is the most important measure of my evolving personal character.

PRADA Shirt DRIES VAN NOTEN Pants TAGLIATORE Boots JOHN LOBB Fidel Fernandez PHOTO ASSISTANT: Achraf Issami STYLIST ASSISTANT: Maya Valere-Gille

Aura

SEEKERS

From expansive Californian hotels to unique Haussmannian-style apartments in Paris and an Internet-breaking museum in Morocco, Studio KO’s countless architectural projects come one after another like cinematic montages spread all over the world.

Karl Fournier and Olivier Marty, jointly known as Studio KO, are leaving their mark on the map. With offices in Paris, Marrakech, and London, and projects across the globe, the French architects are partners in work and life. The duo met while studying architecture in Paris, Marty’s birth city, and established their eponymous agency in 2000. Since then, the two have articulated a design vocabulary that is built upon concrete and natural elements. Creating personal and public spaces for the likes of Francis Ford Coppola, Marella Agnelli, and the Hermès family, their status in the fashion world was officially sealed in 2017 with the creation of the Yves Saint Laurent Museum in Marrakech. The vivid Haute Couture foundation—erected in a city that long served as inspiration for the late fashion designer—raised Studio KO to global attention. In Fournier and Marty’s work at the museum and elsewhere since, refinement, tension, and light are a call to contemplation. Inside, they balance elegance, avant-garde, and the vernacular.

Why is Morocco so significant to your personal and professional journeys?

STUDIO KO: It started when we were studying architecture at [The École des] Beaux-Arts in Paris. We fell for the country, the landscapes, the light, the warmth, and the desire to work there.

Marrakech wasn’t crowded then like it is now. We quickly made connections with people like Jean-Noël Schoeffer, an owner of a bed and breakfast there. For us, Morocco is a bit like the series “Protect Me From What I Want” by the artist Jenny Holzer; many of the things that we desired the most happened there. It was a plan without premeditation.

NATHALIE NORT:

After you established yourselves in Morocco through extensive residential work, the two of you renovated a farm?

KO: Yes, we fell in love with this farm next to the Agafay desert.

Its beautiful adobe architecture was slowly deteriorating, and we couldn’t see that without doing anything about it. So with Jean-Noël we decided to restore the building to become NN:

by NATHALIE NORT Portrait by NOEL MANALILI

a place for friends. We wanted to share its lifestyle. In the area’s local architecture, the space focuses on its interiors and pure [North African] Berber traditions in which vegetable gardens provoke special emotions. The farm is an enchanting place with its own life, so we had the idea to make it an artist’s residency. With no network, the artist is only distracted by the silence, the sky, and the desert. There’s no escape from confronting one’s creative desires.

How did you use a mix of architecture and art for the Yves Saint Laurent Museum?

KO: This museum is a reconciliation of art and fashion. For a long time, museums looked at fashion haughtily, without really measuring what the art form is saying about the present times, our concerns, and our societies. Now you can see a fashion designer’s retrospective in a museum and see how the progress and awareness finally happened.

NN:

OUR JOB SHOULD BE about REACHING TIMELESSNESS and STAYING AWAY FROM TRENDS. OTHERWISE YOU’RE A has-BEEN.

Whose direction did you follow?

At the beginning we were not very familiar with Saint Laurent’s work. The archives of the Paris foundation— drawings, pictures, movies—helped us discover the incredible richness of his talent, an insatiable curiosity that revolutionized his time. Through the museum, it was Pierre Bergé’s desire—beyond paying tribute to the designer—to use the name Saint Laurent and its power to make people dive into culture. For Moroccans, the access to culture is not that easy. Few museums support artistic awakening if it isn’t historical. His vision was to welcome international and Moroccan artists, temporary exhibitions—Christo [Femmes 1962-1968], for example—organized concerts, conferences, and movies in the auditorium, and to open a huge library NN: KO:

NN: What was it like to work on the Flamingo Estate, a unique villa in Los Angeles you designed for the Chandelier Creative founder Richard Christiansen?

KO: The narrative dimension of the Eagle Rock house is its best feature. It is a Hollywood character in itself. Very high and surrounded by wasps’ nests and fruit trees, it has such a powerfulness that Richard bought it without even visiting it. That’s huge. The [house’s previous owner] was an old man who lived there for 40 years with his gay porn collection.

It was full of slides, rolls of films, accessories, and sets—an indescribable mess. When Richard was finally able to buy it, he called us to create the future of “his garden of pleasures and fantasies.”

Was it a crazy project or a project for a crazy man?

Both. Richard is a nice crazy person, though, not a raving lunatic. He is as original as his expectations. Without linking it to us, he already had the idea of a Brutalist house against the backdrop of giant agaves and desert. Our work on the NN: KO:

specialized in the Berber work, including botanics and fashion for students and researchers. To create a place of curiosities and surprises, “opening on the city and on life” was really important to Pierre, who forbade us to design a mausoleum.

Do you think there is a fashion entryism into the architecture field?

Because the sector of fashion has to keep growing, our job as architects is becoming dominated by fashion designers.

You now see famous stylists designing the interiors of restaurants, creating lamps, etc. You see [Giorgio] Armani, [Christian] Lacroix, [Jean Paul] Gaultier, or Rick Owens asked to design interiors. You see [Angela] Missoni creating a linen collection or [Simon Porte] Jacquemus creating a restaurant. On the other side, I’m not capable of designing a clothing line. It’s a job that I never learned about and haven’t had any experience in this sector. As fashion comes into the homeware world, another issue we’re facing is the rhythm, the season, and the obligatory need to follow the new trends, the new colors, and increasing consumerism. It’s crazy that interior design magazines are following the same rules! Our job should be about reaching timelessness and staying away from trends. Otherwise you’re a has-been.

NN: KO:

ABOVE—Villas

G, DL, and D in Morocco, a detail from Balmain’s SoHo boutique in New York.

Saint Laurent Museum in Marrakech, the pool at Villa K in Morocco.

PREVIOUS PAGE—Studio KO’s co-founders Karl Fournier and Olivier Marty.

OPPOSITE PAGE—The Yves

Chiltern Firehouse hotel in London was what spurred our connection. He loved our story of an Edwardian family chased from their castle. This Californian project came at the perfect moment, since André Balasz wanted us to redo three rooms at the Chateau Marmont at the same time. For the Flamingo Estate—a three-floor mix between ziggurat, Casa Malaparte, and a bath lodge—concrete was a prime choice for the construction of the stairs. Oriented toward the sunrise, we imagined the spa room as the climax of Richard’s day. As he takes at least two baths a day, he can relax, slow down, and light a fire in this room. And eco-conscious people need not worry… the bath water is reused for the garden.

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The Flamingo Estate as seen by FRANÇOIS HALARD for L’OFFICIEL ABOVE AND OPPOSITE PAGE—The

bathhouse is the focus of the property and is situated in the garden, which was imagined in collaboration with the landscaper Arnaud Casaus.

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ABOVE—A

detail of the cast concrete staircase with a chair-sculpture by Alberto Giacometti. office pavilion in the garden, all in green glazed bricks.

OPPOSITE PAGE—The

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WORLD WIDE In his debut editorial, art ingénue Samuel Fasse speaks with sound architect Michel Gaubert about the freedoms and failures of the sensory and the Internet.

by JUSTIN POLERA Photography FRANÇOIS QUILLACQ

In 2017, the YOUNG ARTIST SAMEUL FASSE PRESENTED Le REGARD AILLEURS, “The Look Elsewhere,” an IMMERSIVE WORK AT the PALAIS de TOKYO PARALLEL to PARIS’ fall FASHION WEEK LINEUP. THE EXHIBITION simultaneously MARKED the ROYAL ACADEMY of FINE ART ANTWERP GRADUATE’S debut COLLECTION AND the EMERGENCE of HIS HYBRID PRACTICE, and FASSE EMERGED AS a WUNDERKIND of PERFORMATIVE PRACTICES. Since THEN, HE has CHALLENGED the VERY NOTION of SINGULAR AUTERSHIP, IMMEDIATELY DISSOLVING into COLLECTIVES and COLLABORATIONS. Fasse’s exhibition was a Gesamtkunstwerk—what the art world calls a total body of work—a spectacle that moved between the real and the unreal, the physical and immaterial, and the plastic and the virtual. Unlike other immersive art installations, the viewer experienced a punctum—a fracture in space and time—because they could view the performer but not what the performer themself viewed. Both performer and audience shared the same room yet existed in separate realities. The recorded video of the performance moves between the subjects in a 3-D virtual world, with the piece’s musical composition as the one guiding thread that both viewer and performer share. Thus, music is central to Fasse’s collaborative force, which includes dancers, other artists, textile producers, craftsmen, and other luminaries from the Paris underground club and ballroom scene.

Paris-based sound designer Michel Gaubert is omnipresent in the fashion world, and has done more to shape the experience of the contemporary runway show than almost anyone else.

Since the 1990s, he has created immersive soundscapes for runway shows for visionaries such as Karl Lagerfeld, Raf Simons, and Dries Van Noten. And while most of his mixes are no more than 10 minutes long, many have lingered in the collective memory of fashion and on music playlists for decades. Fasse’s performances have a similar duration, but their force resides in the works’ transformation long after the event itself is over. The experience is a journey, or a trip, for Fasse. And you can never emerge the same.

Michel has said that sound is a visual experience.

What does that mean to you both?

JUSTIN POLERA:

MICHEL GAUBERT: I think that music is the aural companion of a fashion show. The whole show is basically an image that you are constantly creating. The music brings another image. You take one image that is red, and you put the music that makes you think yellow, so maybe the result is going to be orange on blue.

It’s a juxtaposition.

SAMUEL FASSE: It’s funny because when I first met you, Michel, one of our first conversations was me explaining my art practice to you. What you just translated—the idea of juxtaposing these different elements so that they become something more—is similar to my vision or art. I want to exhibit the global picture of my practice, but it is nice to have something more physical on top of something that is more abstract.

MG: When you see a movie you remember the soundtrack, and when you remember the soundtrack you see the movie in your mind. Especially for me—there are so many fashion shows that I remember from their music.

SF: Yes, that is true, sound can transport us. When I try to build ecosystems, it is really like the bodies become their own triggers. It is a real time musical composition making on its own. You remember, Michel, I used to work with [musician Jackson Fourgeaud, aka] Jackson and His Computerband. We constituted a lexicon of sounds and afterwards they collapsed together. From there I began making music through gesture.

Since the 1990s, the term “authenticity” has come under fire, and even the notion of the fashion designer as a “great auteur” has unraveled. Brands have become more than just the vision of one artist, and the very idea of collaboration has changed. Michel, there was a huge shift in the world, including the birth of the Internet, during the very time you began first collaborating with Karl Lagerfeld.

JP:

ABOVE, CLOCKWISE—Shirt

and pants HERMÈS T-shirt BORD PARIS Boots BOTTEGA VENETA Bracelet TIFFANY & CO. Jacket DRIES VAN NOTEN Pants and boots BOTTEGA VENETA Bracelet D’HEYGERE Jacket ROCHAS Sweater and Pants LANVIN PREVIOUS PAGE, LEFT—Jacket, shirt, and necklace CELINE PREVIOUS PAGE, RIGHT—Sweater BOTTEGA VENETA Shirt LEMAIRE Pants and shoes BORD PARIS Necklace SAMUEL’S OWN

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Music-wise, the Internet was not really happening until the mid ‘90s or even early 2000s. I remember I was in New York in 2001, working on a show that was eventually cancelled. A week later they decided to reinstate it, but the music still was not finished. I had to send it from Paris and the provider had to go to some office or wherever to get more broadband to receive it. It took 45 minutes to send 10 minutes of music. In the mid-2000s, however, everything changed.

We got immediate access to so much. It is very random what you can find online. You see a lot of things, you can hear a lot of things, you read things all in a different way. We all basically became our own editors.

MG:

I’m also interested in this shift because so many of us never saw— or in the case of music, never heard—a runway show until they became digitized. Fashion went from being for only “insiders” to suddenly “outsiders” having access, and it became a spectacle for all people to participate in. How do you think things changed after that?

MG: It has been very gradual. We’ve had ideas that we could not do because the technology or strategy was not there yet. I once did something with Bruce Nauman for Viktor & Rolf in 2010. We made these CDs as sound art for the show. Then the video went live on a news site, but they couldn’t play the music because they didn’t have the usage rights.

Everything started to go crazy.

This was during the beginning of streaming. Now most of the time people are perfectly okay with you using anything. Maybe it is more like a Richard Prince kind of attitude today.

JP:

and place they happen, and the experience afterwards is out of my hands. You don’t know what the causality is going to be: negative or positive.

MG: Fashion is experiencing a lot of backlash because of the people that follow it. What we do, I do for myself and the people I work with. And it’s the same for you. We think what we do is good, and we defuse it. There are people who are going to follow and understand, while others will look at you and think they understand you, but they don’t. It’s the same on Instagram, where I post lots of pictures, some of which I have taken myself and some that I don’t know where they came from. I once posted a picture of a dog and the creator of the image got super mad at me: “You’re stealing my work.

This is a picture I took.” He told me I should delete it and be reported to Instagram. I asked him to let me tag him in the credit with a courtesy line. Why do you have to get so upset about owning a picture of your dog on the beach? Why does he put an image out there if he does not want people to take it?

EVERYONE WANTS to PUT YOU in a BOX...

THIS MAKES PEOPLE FEEL SAFER. I do NOT ACCEPT CATEGORIES.

5

JP: Do people today see everything on the Internet as copyright-free?

Everyone can just use whatever they like?

MG: It should be copyright-free, because otherwise everything will be copyrighted. People will copyright the models and even the people sitting in the front row. Life cannot exist this way. Everything would be extremely flat.

SF: Because I grew up with the Internet, I really never had any of those experiences with copyrights. It is already stressful for me to find any elements of my work on the web! web! In truth, I never think about this when I’m working on a pitch.

I’m all for collaboration and spreading my work on the web as far as it can go. I am also using new technologies in my work.

People all over might grab onto one of the pieces and maybe use it for something else unintended. I remember one day a friend was working in a creative office in Asia and tracking what was trending in the world. He wrote to me: “Oh my God, one of your performances is being broadcast in Korea right now.” I was like, Oh fuck me. You know, that is intense.

At that moment I realized that one of my artworks could be shown and experienced anywhere. Work can spread across the globe in a way that you as the artist cannot control. In my work there are intimate moments that I share in the time

You are both very open about being queer artists or creators. What does that mean to you in 2020?

MG: Being a queer artist in 2020 means the same to me as being a queer artist—if I can call myself an artist—in the ‘90s. I never came out, I never had to come out. I think it’s very important to be who I am and not care about what people think of me. I don’t care about you.

Sometimes I don’t go to Pride because I am not the front-line activist shouting for my rights, but I do my share. I let people know who I am in everything I do; there is no duality. And it’s important that people know I am queer, because also it helps a lot of people. That’s why I’m saying it quite openly.

It’s important that people are very open. You are your own person, and that is what is most important to me.

SF: I am always working with people close to me. I often have Trans and POC performers in my work, and people always ask me what I’m trying to say with that. They think I am making commentary on transgender issues with my performance, and I am not. The performers are my friends, first of all, and if I wanted to talk about that I would do so in another way. At this time in history, my friends and I have the free will to be who we are—in Paris at least. Everyone wants to put you in a box, for you to reassure them that you have a category. Somehow this makes people feel safer. I do not accept categories.

MG: When you look at the state of the world, people are being stripped of basic rights. We are in 2020 and I wish we had gone further than where we are now. On one side of the spectrum, we’re fighting and people are becoming more open. On the other side, people want to put everything back into a closet. I am not a fighter, but by putting my taste forward I hope I can make a change in the world.

JP:

LEFT—Suit, shoes, and

ring GIVENCHY Shirt PONZI Necklace SAMUEL’S OWN bracelet SAINT LAURENT Necklace SAMUEL’S OWN RIGHT—Vest DSQUARED2 Pants ACNE STUDIOS Boots LEMAIRE Bracelet D’HEYGERE Necklace SAMUEL’S OWN STYLIST: Margaux Dague GROOMING: Fidel Fernandez PHOTO ASSISTANT: Yvonne Dumas Milne STYLIST ASSISTANT: Lea Sanchez SHOOT ASSISTANT: Lilly Gray LOCATION: Poush Manifesto CENTER—Sweater, pants, boots, and

6

Body of Evidence.

A crisp button-down shirt, a silk tie, classic leather loafers. Up until very recently, wardrobe staples for men have hardly changed, but thanks to revolutions in expressing gender and masculinity, such is no longer the case. As L’OFFICIEL’s centennial anniversary draws near, we’ve once again asked you, our readers, to tell us your most desirable men’s accessories for this season. Thousands of you from across the world answered on social media, sharing your shopping behaviors and selecting the most promising men’s pieces to invest in for Fall/Winter2020. Here, a presentation of evidence: from brogues, like Burberry’s square-tip option, to bold, oversized red shades à la Loewe, your choices reflect the push-pull of menswear today. While neutral colors and classic shapes still reign, the addition of a more daring accessory provides typical tailoring with a new swagger. Take Dior’s crossbody bag, worn on the runway alongside elbow length gloves, or Gucci’s crystal necklace, originally draped haphazardly over coats and blazers. As men and women begin to share both closets and runways, the definition of menswear has expanded to brilliant experimentation. But of course, no one’s wardrobe would be complete without a classic watch.

Photography JENNIFER LIVINGSTON

Bag BOTTEGA VENETA BURBERRY PREVIOUS PAGE—Bag DIOR

OPPOSITE PAGE—Shoes

Hat GIVENCHY OPPOSITE PAGE—Sunglasses

LOEWE

7

Watch TAG HEUER GUCCI

OPPOSITE PAGE—Necklace

Shoes PRADA SAINT LAURENT VISUAL DIRECTOR: Miriam Herzfeld RETOUCHING: Picture House POST PRODUCTION DIRECTOR: Patrick Kinsella OPPOSITE PAGE—Hat

Seventies style was as radical in its time as it remains today.

The 1970s were a hotbed of experimentation. Building on the previous decade’s modern dandyism, men’s fashion in particular was unapologetically bold and flamboyant, redefining the collective perception of masculine style.

Several years before the advent of L’OFFICIEL Hommes and other style publications created solely for men, L’OFFICIEL recognized this impact on fashion. Starting with a 1972 spread highlighting the decade’s finest fit-and-flare silhouettes and plaid galore, the magazine began featuring a dedicated men’s fashion feature in each of its editions. The pages mirrored the newfound bravado of style taken to the extremes by icons like

David Bowie and Mick Jagger. With saturated colors, hip prints, and made-to-mix casual tailoring, the men’s wardrobe transformed into something worth watching.

The influence of the 1970s echoes throughout current men’s collections. Elements of the decade—satin, suede, ruffles, mixed prints—favored this season by the likes of Gucci, Dries van Noten, and Givenchy. In retrospect, L’OFFICIEL’s first foray into menswear reflected the pioneering nature that is largely responsible for today’s notions of men’s style—always looking ahead while reveling in the present.

—Sophie Shaw

Kader Attia

Arcmanoro Niles

Hernan Bas

Catherine Opie

Ashley Bickerton

OSGEMEOS

McArthur Binion

Angel Otero

Heidi Bucher

Tony Oursler

Billy Childish

Helen Pashgian

Mandy El-Sayegh

Lari Pittman

Teresita Fernández

Alex Prager

Anya Gallaccio

Robin Rhode

Gilbert & George

Tim Rollins and K.O.S.

Nicholas Hlobo

David Salle

Shirazeh Houshiary

Jennifer Steinkamp

Klara Kristalova

Suh Se Ok

Lee Bul

Do Ho Suh

Liu Wei

Juergen Teller

Liza Lou

Patrick Van Caeckenbergh

Marilyn Minter

Cecilia Vicuña

Mr.

Nari Ward

Wangechi Mutu

Erwin Wurm

OSGEMEOS, I swear that I saw it, 2019 (detail)

Billie Zangewa

New York

Hong Kong

Seoul

London

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