The raw, untreated hide of an alligator  thrown amongst an array of exotic skins and delicate fabrics. Dark shades and gradients of mottled colour sweep across the leather – tea browns, murky beige and scaly lines of deep grey. Underneath, the oily shine of eelskin glimmers in the low light, and a dull beige crepe de soie gives the opposite effect, in this image photographed by Mario Palmieri.

This is how American fashion designer Rick Owens chose to define his personal vision through an object, a question asked of Olivier Theyskens, Azzedine Alaïa and himself for A#3. The alligator skin is rare and precious, intricate in its anatomical structure, yet here is rendered unpolished and entirely lifeless – awaiting Rick’s transformation into a svelte gilet, a panelled jacket, or the trim on a shoe. It represents Rick Owens in its contradictions, in the sombre melange of glamour and grunge that have made his daringly dark silhouettes so popular the world over.

Be it the shark-fin heel on an a platform boot, the luxury of cashmere knitwear so long it drags across the ground, or a cotton jersey hoodie lined entirely in fox, Owens creates a unique and avantgarde mix of comfort, wearability and unswerving elegance.