Christian Cowan Makes Fashion and Technology Meet

October 14, 2021

In an industry that is constantly on the go, it’s important now so more than ever to keep on track and be organized. Amazfit, known for their global leading technology in the smartwatch industry, releases their latest smartwatches that aim to keep you on track whether that be through setting event reminders, health and fitness tips, or even receiving texts and phone calls. The smartwatch brand makes the exciting announcement that they have partnered with designer Christian Cowan to release their GTR 3 and GTS 3 series as their experienced consultant.

Cowan, coming off of a successful and masterful New York Fashion Week show, along with presenting otherworldly designs showcased at the Met Gala, acts as a liaison in the intersectional worlds of where technology and fashion meet.

Interview by Cassie Jekanoski and Ronald Kahihikolo
Photos courtesy of Amazfit

In the fashion industry, it’s no secret that there is hardly ever any downtime and with that, it is seemingly impossible to keep track of meetings and events to attend. The New York-based designer proudly thanks Amazfit for aiding in the assistance of his day-to-day tasks. On top of that, as the world continues to only delve deeper into a realm of technological assistance and saturation, it’s important to note the role that smartwatches can play in this intersectionality.

In an exclusive interview with office, Christian sits down to talk about this collaboration along with how it ties into him being the sophisticated and confident-boosting designer that he is known for.

Continue reading below.

How are you feeling coming off New York Fashion Week?

I'm feeling really good. It was wild because it was a long period leading up to it. We're doing fashion films and stuff, but I was itching to get back to New York Fashion Week. I'm just feeling excited and happy to be here doing it and have it all done. The week was madness with the Met and VMAs all at the same time, it was a lot, but I kind of thrive off of being really busy. I wanted to up my game coming into this Fashion Week and in fact, this is where the watch was really helpful, the GTR 3 Pro. It was just so helpful because I can organize everything.

How do you keep up with doing all of it? Because it was back to back in a matter of two weeks.

It's all about lists and setting alerts on the watch has been great.

You're stepping into this smartwatch collaboration. Is your design process different from when you're designing gowns and garments? Walk us through the whole entire collaboration.

I like to collaborate with products that make sense in my life. I never want to collaborate with people who don't make sense for us. It's always got to be organic, it's always got to be something that I would use or the brand would be aligned with. I've always been interested in where apparel and technology intersect. Even on my Met Gala gown, on one of the people we dressed we had QR codes. So it's always a way to integrate it and most of it was a perfect match. We talked about ways to do some really interesting stuff within fashion and it organically came to fruition. I'm their experienced consultant, so it's nice to be able to help them come up with cool ways to do more in the fashion space in the future as well.

Going back on your QR code gown, what was your thought process behind that?

So I worked with Hans coming up with ideas on how to integrate a QR code into a collection and we did it for the show. We were dressing Saweetie as well and that was so sleek. So I wanted someone else, and Isabel, the model, we dressed to be the opposite, like huge volume.

What was the inspiration behind Saweetie's look? So beautiful.

Thank you. It was really collaborative. I really like Saweetie, we zoom or chat on video loads and we changed the concept a lot. She's so funny, even the red carpet interview, she was like "shout out to Christian for dealing with me and changing my mind all the time." But at the end of the day, it was Saweetie's first Met, and I wanted it to be quintessentially her. I don't think it's a time for her to be something else. It was about showing her incredible body and then, in terms of the American theme, we wanted to reflect that America's made amazing by people coming from outside of America to America. So we paid heritage to her Filipino father and then the Black Heritage Flag.

So fashion has changed so much and the way that we wear things and how we go about it. How do you feel like you witnessed the evolution of fashion and how we go about it today?

I haven't been around long enough to really be able to comment. The best people would be people who have been in fashion for 30 years because they'd really see it, but from what I've seen, I think things changed when the pandemic happened. I think it's kind of helped push a more excessive aesthetic from happening more and more. I think people want to go out, be looked at, and dress up. People were reminded of how style is not about how you look, but it's about how you feel in those looks. That was the case for me throughout the pandemic where I would get dressed up for nothing because I feel fab. Trends have changed in terms of once upon a time you can look at a decade and be like, that's the style of the decade and that's not the case anymore. I think those days are over it's about a million micro trends happening at the same time. And I think the Internet's because of that.

How was the pandemic for you?

I try to look at the positives. I think as designers and everyone we're all so busy in the day-to-day constantly hustling, making everything happen, but you don't really have time to sit back and be like, "what is it that I want to do with my brand?" So it gave me that time to mature the brand and work out some things.

A nice reflection.

A really nice reflection and a mental break. You get so busy sketching for different jobs and stuff that sometimes you get so caught up in it that you kind of forget about the true pleasure of it. To have that break I was like I just love fashion so much and you just get in touch with it again.

That's so nice.

So lovely. Yeah, it really reminded me that it truly is my favorite thing to do. It makes me super happy.

I know for a lot of people it was kind of a revolutionary period for them where they realized they hated what they did. So it's really nice that you're able to sit in it and reflect and be like, "no, I love what I do."

This defines me. I'm not someone who works to live, I definitely live to work. It's my favorite thing to do.

Your designs are sexy, but in the most elegant way, what makes this such an irresistible combination for you and your consumer?

I like to have a juxtaposition, definitely within design, but if not within a specific design, within the collection. If something's already well-textured, there'll be a silhouette that you recognize. I never overcomplicate it even though stuff is really abstract. And in terms of being sexy and sophisticated, I only ever design from the perspective of I want the woman or whoever's wearing it to feel sexy. It's never about trying to look sexy for the viewer.

You just want the people to exude their own sexiness, their own confidence and that's what brings your garments out.

It's 100% for them. How you wear Christian Cowan clothing is to make you feel amazing.

You can see that though with your show and Met looks. You can see that they were next level of how they felt about themselves wearing the garments.

That's what I want because I was raised by fabulous Spanish women. I think that's just something I tried to bring through into my work like this confident, fab, loving-life woman. And I want everyone to feel that way.

So how else would you say that you bring your culture into your designs?

I think the older I get the more I realize how much I'm influenced by my mother. A Spanish family is so different I think in terms of it's very intensive. The women are absolutely the pillars of the family. I don't think I realized it when I was younger, but I'm completely in every way influenced by that.

Isn't it funny that when you're a kid you're like, "Oh, I'm not going to be like my parents. I'm going to go off and do my own thing." But then as the older you get, you're like "wait, I'm literally doing exactly what my parents did even though I did not want to go down that route."

I am drawn to the energy that those women my family gave me. I was sat next to Rosalía at a dinner the other day, and she's from Spain as well, and I was living for her so much and I realized I was like it's because she reminded me so much of my cousin.

Aside from your exciting collaboration with your watches, what do you have planned for the rest of the year?

So it's about leveling up and upping your game every single time and I want to start working on the next collection. I will always do Fashion Week, but I want to do drops in between, I don't like waiting the whole time. Let's just do more and people want it too so might as well. You'll be seeing more products in between and then also collaborating in as many different categories.

Fashion

From Prince Street to East 4th, a Ride With Rapha

April 29, 2024

To celebrate the coolest (and finest) cycle-centric brand Rapha's latest drop, we kept the party going after its New York Clubhouse launch with dinner and drinks at Ella Funt.

With a first campaign shot in New York, capturing riders through the lens of street photographers Sarah van Rij and David van der Leeuw, Rapha Performance Sportswear strikes the perfect balance between style and functionality, tailored for life in motion. Just in time for prime sunny weather here in New York, the collection is a perfect choice, both on and off the bike. "For someone like myself who lives in Amsterdam and commutes by bike daily," says Fayrouz Salem, Rapha Head of Lifestyle, "this is a dream come true. We've created pieces that work on the bike without having to compromise on style."

Shop the collection at rapha.cc and in select Clubhouses.

Photography by Anderson Martinez

Fashion

Luis De Javier's PUTA Takeover

April 25, 2024

Last night with Luis De Javier, guests were overheard confirming this generation's most vital conundrum: “If I’m cunt, I can still be pussy.” “And if you’re pussy, you can still be cunt.” This sentiment echoed throughout the night as we celebrated De Javier’s first-ever streetwear collection, "PUTA". We spent seven hours at Ella Funt at a dinner turned party that only he could’ve thrown (co-hosted by emcee). It was too dark for even the most aspiring-to-look-mysterious of us to wear sunglasses inside. Under the semi-oppressive flash of party photographers, we danced as much as the space would allow, drank tequila out of teacups and kissed each other on the cheeks with a vaguely European intimacy. “I’m doing streetwear!” De Javier could be heard exclaiming — whether it be in disbelief or excitement, we couldn’t tell you.

Words and photos by Izzy Capulong

The Spanish-born London-based designer has been well-loved for his genderless tailoring, latex mastery, and overall message of empowerment. Dressing everyone from ravers to A-listers, De Javier’s latest drop pushes his design repertoire to a new level. “While designing for my celebrity clientele and showcasing my creations on the runway has always been my dream,” he notes, “It’s equally important to me that my brand resonates with a wider, more diverse audience.” While this collection’s medium has shifted from corsets to sweatshirts, the classic LDJ avant-garde sensibilities remain. Bikinis and booty shorts are shamelessly emblazoned with “PUTA,” blazers are constructed with ample shoulder padding, and I had my eye on the cheekily-named “Faguette Bag.”

The Puta collection will be available exclusively on emcee.

Fashion

Happy 424 Day

Simon Rasmussen — What's going on?

Guillermo Andrade — Right now we're just setting everything up.

So, what are you doing, is it a party?

Well, I kind of felt universally forced, right? Because 4/24/24, I was just like, I don’t really have a choice here. The stars also just kind of aligned, so to be honest, I got this settlement that came with a bunch of clothes so I had this idea to give back to the kids who fuck with us by allowing them to buy our shit first. Not handing stuff out for free, but to do it in a way where we could skip the middleman of the industry, so to speak, and not allow clothes to disappear into the abyss of Farfetch or whatever else. So what we’re going to do is a sort of warehouse sale, which we’ve never done before so that was really exciting for me. I didn’t want to do just another warehouse sale, so it’s like a sample sale turns rager. We teamed up with Adidas and a couple of other sponsors, then drinks, DJs, and a performance.

Sick, I love it.

Yeah. My dream sample sale. Also, it’s not just hoodies and t-shirts here in there, it’s proper collections from the past three seasons. I’m also not picking and choosing, trying to make it accessible, like this was the only way I could afford to buy shit when I was a kid, bro. Sample sales were the thing I looked forward to the most.

I feel you. In New York, there's the annual CDG sale, which is when I used to cop all my CDG.

The only time I could afford Rick. I flew to New York once for a Rick sample sale and I was like, Wow, I can't believe I got invited. And it was mental. I still have those pieces. I will never sell them. Not even because I got 'em cheap. It was also just really fun. Even on the flight to New York, I was like, I can't believe I'm going to New York for a sample sale, what a fucking loser I am. But it was like the adult version of when I was a kid and I was like, Wow, I can't believe I'm 20-something and I'm still doing the thing I was doing in high school. So I hope we can create moments like that for kids here in LA.

Yeah. I love that. It’s important to connect with them; they’re essentially creating the brand. If you don't have them, good luck.

I mean, yeah. Fuck, bro. It's cool that we've been around for this long. I mean, it got a little rocky there for a second I think, for all of us. So coming out of it, tomorrow is a celebration. And it’s like an odd day of the week. It's a Wednesday, super random. And now that we've set it up, the homies are all like, Yo, I'm coming. I'm coming. Let me jump on stage, let me do this, and that's really what it's always been about. It's not some other strategy to get likes on the internet.

That’s how the best things happen, you just couldn’t help yourself. It was intuitive.

Yeah, it all came together in a really nice way.

Would you say that’s how 424 started as well? I remember we met in like 2010 on Fairfax and I was visiting with Rasmus…

Oh bro, it’s probably the time when I started the branch… do you remember Cecilia from Black Dakini? She’s the one that introduced me to CIFF and honestly, I didn’t even care what she was doing, I was just like, I’m coming, I’ll go with you. She said she’d give me half of her booth and I said, Awesome count me in. At the time, I had just gotten my green card and I wasn't allowed to ever leave America, so Copenhagen was one of the first cities I went to when I could finally travel. I mean, you see what we did at CIFF bro? It became our fucking hub for half a decade.

That was a moment for sure.

I remember the first account I got was Antonioli, and he came super gangster, being like, You're going to sell me these clothes. And I was like, bro, I didn't come to sell clothes. I'm just kind of catching a vibe with my homie and I made these things. And he's like, No, you're going to sell it to me. And then I was like, Oh my god that’s Claudio Antonioli. So then I went home, I googled wholesale, and figured that shit out. [laughs]

[Laughs]

Like you said, I couldn't help myself, but I didn't just make t-shirts and hoodies either. I was really on my Rick wave, so I made my version of the Rick things. It was that meets like The Boondock Saints, because I'm still a little bit of a Cali bro, sort of rock kid, but not really. I like hip-hop, but I like the way the rock stars look. I like the contrast. I thought it was cool. After that, I just never stopped.

It was clear to me when I first met you that you were onto your own thing in LA. It made a lot of sense, and it was so cool. It was before 424 was its own brand; you just had the store and this really cool curation.

It was all my shit, bro. I was very, very invested in sharing all of these things that I was finding from all over the world, like Astrid Anderson. She was one of those designers at the time, so important to 424. The connection to Copenhagen specifically for me was huge. I had a big fan base there. It was incredible. And then here in LA, we were sharing the things that we were a part of and finding; it was still the early days of Fear of God, Rhude, Martine Rose. A lot of these brands, we were the first store to ever sell it — we were selling Hood By Air on the West Coast.

You had Rick as well, I remember.

Oh yeah. It took me a long time. But I got Rick, bro. By the time I had to close the store on Fairfax, I already had a Raf Simons account. I had reached my ultimate dream. It was really all the stuff I wanted to wear at the time. It was dope. The best of the best.

We had an office magazine newsstand in there as well.

Oh yeah, we did! I came to visit the one you had, and I was like, Yo, I got to bring this whole fucking thing over here. But yeah, in LA, after two days people forget you exist, but everyone’s been super supportive. We’re all 10 years older now. We've been around forever at this point.

It can be dangerous to take those breaks when you’re figuring shit out, but there’s something very genuine to this comeback you’re having.

Thank you, thank you. We’ve been in and out of those fucking showrooms in Paris for long enough. I've been in and out of these factories for the past 10 years of my life. We had to figure something out. And I think now really diving in, being in Italy full time and being there to develop these products over time, I think that the whole thing just really shows the suppliers respect you more. The people who are making your goods understand why you're making them. And I think now I finally got to the place where I'm not making Italian things, I’m making my clothes, I'm making Cali-centric shit, but with that European technicality and execution. With this Fall / Winter collection, it clicked.

So what’s the vision for the next year? What are you manifesting?

I'm just fucking relentless, bro. This is the way I want to live my life. Now that we are more aligned, more prepared, and have more experience, moving forward it is just more of becoming a fully functioning company that can provide and create opportunities for all of the people around me. We’ve been operating just on instinct for a long time.

Sustaining a business is scary, trust me I know.

Scary as fuck, dog. I just opened a store next to Bottega, bro, and it’s like what am I even doing? You have to just believe in the thing you're doing more than anybody else.

100%, and it seems like that’s what you’re doing.

And fashion’s kind of a competitive sport, as much as people don’t think it is. We can reach a certain level without losing ourselves. My biggest ambition at the moment is to create something that, when you leave one of our neighbors you come into our place you don’t feel that the level has been sacrificed at all. And it’s not easy.

Definitely. I wish I could be there tomorrow.

Thank you, bro. 10 years now. You’ve always shown me so much love. We have to do a booth or have the office part of the next 424 day. Shit let’s do a 424 day in New York.

That would be sick. Let's do it. I'm here. Let’s catch up soon.

Next season’s right around the corner so I’ll see you in Paris.

Yes, see you in Paris and Happy 424 day!