rick owens unveils charlotte perriand-inspired ‘refuge’ with moncler

rick owens and moncler’s charlotte perriand-inspired ‘refuge’

With Moncler, Rick Owens constructs a demountable steel house named Refuge, inspired by the architecture of Charlotte Perriand and Jean Prouvé. Dubbed as an all-weather accommodation, the fashionable lodging draws mainly from the house that Charlotte Perriand designed in the French Alps, the one owned by Hun’s family. The designer taps Hugh Broughton Architects during the process to make sure that the demountable shelter can function off-grid while having modern technologies installed and still being durable, efficient, and easy to transport.

The steel shelter, which may remind viewers of the designer’s previous monolithic steel sleeping pod, is powered by solar panels placed on the roof as well as ground-based solar arrays and even a wind turbine. In this case, the electricity running around the portable mobile unit is autonomous. There’s also a battery with multiple redundancies so that if the owners take it to remote locations, they can still have power from the energy stored in this battery.

all images courtesy of Moncler

20 engineered and thermally insulated panels around refuge

The Charlotte Perriand-inspired demountable steel Refuge by Rick Owens and Moncler comes to life by using a stainless monocoque shell with 20 precision-engineered and thermally insulated panels. These parts support the structure of the shelter as well as keep the cabin at a room temperature level. There are even adjustable stainless steel ‘legs’ with ball-and-socket joints under Refuge for its footing to help stabilize it on uneven terrain.

When the designer and brand talk about modern technologies for Refuge, they can mean the water and waste systems. Yes, it’s collapsible, but that doesn’t mean that the movable shelter can’t have snowmelt collection, graywater reclamation, and a removable waste storage tank. There’s a log-burning stove too, as well as electric heaters for extra warmth in case owners stay in icy environments. It’s not a Rick Owens and Moncler collaboration without the former using the latter’s collection, and that’s evidenced in the interior.

with Moncler, Rick Owens constructs a demountable steel house named Refuge

Rick owens lines the shelter’s interior with moncler collection

When owners step inside, they find it lined with Moncler duvet nylon and felted wool blankets, which are a nod to Joseph Buys, the German artist Rick Owens considers his ‘art hero’. It’s a coordinated design inside the cabin, which is based on soft organic cotton long johns layered under duvet bodysuits. These suits zip into sleeping ‘cocoons’ so the owners can hibernate in a felt and duvet-lined steel cave.

The shelter has an atmospheric environment because of the large panoramic windows wrapping its rear side, held up by steel edges. Rick Owens calls his shelter a mountain ‘Refuge’ because it is also a low-consumption, off-grid shelter. It can stand on its own and be surrounded by graphic light, smoke, and fog (the last two depend on the owner’s preference). For those who want to step inside, the demountable steel lodging is accessed using an entry ‘airlock’ to protect the movable mobile unit from harsh weather conditions.

detailed view of the demountable steel shelter

Steel seems to be Rick Owens favorite, and the material fits right home with his recent demountable Refuge shelter with Moncler. Making it collapsible, therefore portable, is the designer’s direct reference to many of the similar architecture setups in Charlotte Perriand and Jean Prouvé’s ouevre. The difference is that the interiors are lined and felt with the Italian brand’s duvet, including the wardrobe as well as the soundproof bed.

Because it is an all-weather refuge, there’s insulation to protect the owners from extreme cold. When viewers see Rick Owens’ steel refuge, the image of a mausoleum may come to mind by the boxy exterior it exudes. Before entering the shelter, owners take the flight of ladderzied steel stairs typically used in scaffolding (but with winged ends) until they reach the entrance, whose upper part seems to bow towards their heads. Inside, their glass-covered lives begin, possibly see-through from the outside because of the landscape-esque windows, perhaps a hint too at the late French architect’s approach to her exterior designs.

Moncler’s duvet nylon and felted wool blankets line the interiors of the Rick Owens shelter