“THIS BOOK IS SHAMELESSLY ABOUT ME. I’VE EDITED LARRY’S WORK INTO A COMPOSITION OF THE DESIGNER I WANTED HIM TO BE, AND THE KIND OF DESIGNER I HOPED TO BE. IT’S ME FETISHIZING HIM THROUGH A FANBOY FILTER. IT’S VERY MUCH ABOUT ART DECO KABUKI MEETING BLACK LEATHER, SWEATY 1970S NY, AND THE STOMPING BOMBAST OF KISS, LABELLE, AND DIVINE, WHO HE DID COSTUMES FOR. LARRY INTRODUCED A CAMP FEROCITY TO THE MAINSTREAM AND HELPED SET A LOT OF KIIDS LIKE ME FREE. I WAS GIVEN COMPLETE ACCESS TO HIS PARTNER’S ARCHIVES AND HAVE SHOT SELECTED PIECES IN MY AESTHETIC. THIS IS THE STORY OF CREATION AND LOVE AND LOSS THAT HELPED GET ME HERE.” –RICK OWENS

ONE OF THE UNSUNG HEROES OF FASHION IN THE ’70S, LARRY LEGASPI WAS A DESIGNER AHEAD OF HIS TIME. CRAFTING A SPACE-AGE LOOK IN SILVER AND BLACK LEATHER, LEGASPI CREATED THE LOOK FOR THE DEFINING MUSICAL ACTS OF THE ERA, INCLUDING KISS, LABELLE, GEORGE CLINTON, AND PARLIAMENT. DYING OF AIDS IN 2001, LEGASPI LEFT TWIN LEGACIES AS BOTH DESIGNER AND CURATOR THAT REMAIN LARGELY UNEXPLORED.

THE FIRST BOOK DOCUMENTING THE LIFE AND WORK OF LARRY LEGASPI, LEGASPI, AUTHORED BY RICK OWENS, FILLS IN CRUCIAL GAPS IN THE KNOWLEDGE OF LEGASPI’S WORK AND IMPACT ON THE FASHION WORLD, WHILE PROVIDING A DYNAMIC VISUAL PRESENTATION OF THE LIFE AND WORK OF A LEGEND.

FILLED WITH A BLEND OF PREVIOUSLY UNPUBLISHED PHOTOGRAPHS OF LEGASPI’S CREATIONS AS WELL AS NEW IMAGES SHOT BY OWENS OF LEGASPI’S WORK COMBINED WITH HIS OWN, THIS STUNNING VOLUME TELLS THE STORY OF THE DESIGNER’S SUBVERSIVE SENSIBILITY. INSIGHTFUL ESSAYS BY ANDRÉ LEON TALLEY AND INTIMATE AND PERSONAL INTERVIEWS WITH PATTI LABELLE, PAUL STANLEY, VALERIE LEGASPI, JUAN FERNÁNDEZ AND PAT CLEVELAND OFFER A RARE GLIMPSE INTO LEGASPI’S WORLD. 

PUBLISHED 2019 BY RIZZOLI
HARDCOVER
30CM X 30CM
ISBN:978-0-8478-6706-6