RICHARD SAENZ was created in 1997 by Richard
Ramirez. His debut collection was presented for spring/summer
1998. He designs womenswear and menswear.
The avant-garde brand is
about exploring the possibilities in creating garments and giving the wearer
garments that are not about trends but substance. Constant experimentation is
key. Clothing as a canvas.
Burnt/hand painted fabrics,
asymmetrical cuts, folds, gathering, unfinished seams, frayed hems,
unconventional sewing techniques, reforming the body, upcycling, deconstruction
are all a part of his aesthetics.
Ramirez got his break in
the Houston with local high end boutique, Beth’s Closet. He sold his collection
there for two seasons before he got a big break from NYC boutique, Horn, owned
by designers Miguel Adrover and Douglas Hobbs. Ramirez sold his Richard Saenz
line there for one season. The store closed due to Adrover wanting to focus on
his own line.
Through that Ramirez met
Eiko Berkowitz (owner of the Ludlow Street store, Yu). The store was known for
carrying designers like Issey Miyake, Junya Watanabe, Vivienne Westwood, Comme
des Garcons, Yohji Yamamoto, and others. He sold there for several years until
the store shuttered.
Influences come from abstract art and fashion designers like: Rei Kawakubo (Comme des Garçons), Martin Margiela, Susan Cianciolo, Junya Watanabe, Ann Demeulemeester, Hussein Chalayan, Koji Tatsuno, Masaki Matsushima, Yohji Yamamoto, Vionnet, Schiaparelli, and Madame Grès.
His work has been worn by Rossy De Palma, Shirley Manson (Garbage), Kim Gordon (Sonic Youth), Limi Yamamoto, Sharon Needles, Zola Jesus, Jeordie White (aka Twiggy Ramirez, ex-Marilyn Manson member), Mary Sharpe (Indian Jewelry), and Mariana Saldaña (BOAN/Kunst Fasción).
He has previously sold his collection at Yu (NYC), Pixie & Ivy (Houston, TX), Beth's Closet (Houston, TX), OverScore (Riga, Latvia), Horn (NYC), Dover Street Market Ginza (Tokyo, Japan), and Binge & Purge (St. Louis, MO).
Currently sold at Trading Museum Comme des Garçons (Tokyo/Paris), VisitFor (Osaka, Japan), Whites Clothing Shop/Another View (Osaka, Japan), York Contemporary Clothing (menswear/Warsaw, Poland), and online at Either Territory (www.eitherterritory.com).
His work has been in the pages of PLATINUM (Baltic), SCENE (UK),
SURFACE (USA), UNTITLED (Canada), and FUDGE (Nippon).
https://www.facebook.com/richardsaenzclothing
He is part of a fashion collective called, MAD RECITAL (which also includes menswear).
https://www.facebook.com/madrecitalcollection
He now has a diffusion (more experimental) line called AUTOMATISM that he designs himself.
https://www.facebook.com/automatismclothing
DISMEMBERED QUIETLY is an experimental t-shirt line (wearable art) that Ramirez is also part collaborator.
http://dismemberedquietly.blogspot.com/