When you see Michèle Lamy at a fashion show, gold teeth glinting, tattooed fingers adorned with towering rings, a black line drawn down her forehead, you might think she’s some mystical creature from another era. And in many ways, you’d be right. At 81 years old, this French-born phenomenon has transcended the role of “fashion designer’s wife” to become a cultural icon, creative force, and entrepreneurial powerhouse in her own right.
Michèle Lamy isn’t just Rick Owens’ wife, she’s his business partner, creative collaborator, and the driving force behind much of his success. While Rick designs the clothes, Michèle produces the furniture, manages the art direction, curates experiences, forms bands, appears in music videos, boxes at her own gym, and generally defies every convention about what an 81-year-old woman “should” be doing.
Her estimated net worth of $5-15 million reflects only part of her value. Her cultural capital, the influence, connections, and creative vision she brings to every project, is immeasurable. From her days as a Parisian defense attorney and cabaret dancer in the 1960s to running cult restaurants in Los Angeles to co-founding Owenscorp, Michèle’s life reads like a fever dream of creativity, rebellion, and relentless reinvention.
This is the story of how a provincial French girl became the “High Priestess of Paris,” transformed a struggling designer into a fashion empire, and continues to challenge every assumption about age, beauty, and creativity in an industry obsessed with youth.
Quick Profile: Michèle Lamy at a Glance
| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Michèle Lamy |
| Birth Date | February 5, 1944 (some sources say April 20, 1944) |
| Age (2025) | 81 years old |
| Birthplace | Jura, France |
| Nationality | French-American |
| Occupation | Fashion designer, performer, film producer, entrepreneur |
| Known For | Co-founder of Owenscorp, Rick Owens’ wife & creative partner |
| Net Worth | $5-15 million (2025 estimate) |
| Spouse | Rick Owens (married 2006) |
| Children | Daughter Scarlett Rouge (from previous marriage) |
| Signature Look | Gold teeth, tattooed fingers, henna-dipped fingertips, black forehead line |
| Current Base | Paris, France |
Michèle Lamy Net Worth 2025: How Rich Is Rick Owens’ Wife?
Michèle Lamy’s net worth is estimated between $5 million and $15 million as of 2025, though pinpointing an exact figure is difficult due to the private nature of Owenscorp’s finances and her diverse income streams.
This wealth comes from multiple sources accumulated over six decades of creative entrepreneurship:
Owenscorp Co-Ownership: As co-founder and Executive Manager of Art/Furniture at Owenscorp (established 2004), Michèle owns substantial equity in a company that generates over €130 million annually. While Rick Owens designs the clothing, Michèle manages the furniture division, art direction, and many strategic business decisions.
Furniture Design: The Rick Owens furniture line, featuring brutalist marble chairs, alabaster beds, bronze pieces, and sculptural works, generates significant revenue. Michèle produces these pieces, working with artisans to bring Rick’s sketches to life. Individual pieces sell for tens of thousands of dollars, with some exceeding $200,000.
Fashion Line History: Before meeting Rick, Michèle ran her own fashion line called “Lamy” in Los Angeles during the 1980s-90s. While not hugely profitable, it established her industry credentials and network.
Restaurant/Nightclub Revenue: In the 1990s, Michèle owned and operated Les Deux Cafés and Café des Artistes in Los Angeles, cult hotspots frequented by Hollywood’s elite. These venues generated substantial income before she sold them to move to Paris.
Jewelry Collaborations: Michèle designs jewelry with Loree Rodkin, creating pieces that reflect her gothic, avant-garde aesthetic.
Music and Performance: Through her band LAVASCAR (formed with artist Nico Vascellari and daughter Scarlett Rouge) and appearances in music videos (FKA twigs, Black Asteroid, A$AP Rocky collaborations), Michèle generates additional income and cultural capital.
Lamyland Projects: In 2014, Michèle created “Lamyland” as an umbrella for her independent creative projects, installations, performances, collaborations, that exist separately from Rick Owens but benefit from the brand association.
Boxing Gym: In 2018, Michèle opened “Lamyland” boxing gym at Selfridges London, a space that reinvents itself every few months and reflects her 35+ years of boxing practice.
For context, Rick Owens’ net worth is estimated at approximately $6 million, meaning Michèle’s wealth is comparable to her more famous husband’s, a testament to her independent success and equal partnership in their empire.
Early Life: From Provincial France to Parisian Rebellion
Michèle Lamy was born on February 5, 1944 (though some sources list April 20), in the Jura region of eastern France during the final year of World War II. Her family had deep fashion connections, her grandfather made accessories for Paul Poiret, one of France’s most legendary couturiers.
Growing up in what she describes as a “rich provincial upbringing,” young Michèle felt constrained by conventional expectations. She was expected to follow a respectable path, marry well, raise children, maintain social standing.
Instead, she chose rebellion.
Law School and Philosophy
Michèle studied law at the University of Paris during the tumultuous 1960s. She didn’t just study legal theory, she practiced as a defense attorney for five years, representing clients in court while simultaneously studying philosophy under postmodern philosopher Gilles Deleuze.
This intellectual foundation, legal analysis combined with Deleuze’s theories about desire, difference, and becoming, would profoundly shape her approach to creativity and business.
The May 1968 Protests
Michèle participated in the May 1968 protests that nearly toppled the French government. These student-worker uprisings challenged traditional authority, demanded educational reform, and embodied the revolutionary spirit of the era.
For Michèle, this wasn’t just political, it was personal. The protests represented rejection of conventional paths and embrace of radical possibility.
Cabaret Dancer and Stripper
In her twenties, Michèle abandoned her legal career to perform in Parisian cabarets as a dancer and stripper.
“I wanted to escape my rich provincial upbringing, so I abandoned studies as a defense attorney to striptease,” she later explained.
This wasn’t desperation, it was liberation. The cabaret scene represented artistic freedom, bohemian community, and rejection of bourgeois respectability.
The Los Angeles Years: Restaurants, Fashion, and Meeting Rick
In 1979, at age 35, Michèle moved to New York and then settled in Los Angeles, embarking on the second major phase of her life.
Creating the “Lamy” Fashion Line
In 1984, Michèle launched her own clothing line called “Lamy”, a sportswear brand that reflected her French aesthetic filtered through California’s relaxed culture.
To staff her operation, she needed a patternmaker. Through Rick Owens’ then-boyfriend Rick Castro (now a famous S&M photographer), she met a young designer struggling to make ends meet.
She hired Rick Owens as her patternmaker.
Les Deux Cafés: The Cult Restaurant
Between 1996 and 2003, Michèle ran Les Deux Cafés, a sprawling, vine-covered restaurant in a Los Angeles parking lot that became the epicenter of the city’s underground art scene.
By day, it served food to Hollywood’s elite. By night, Michèle sang to patrons in her raspy voice, creating an atmosphere of bohemian sophistication that drew artists, musicians, designers, and celebrities.
The restaurant wasn’t just a business, it was a salon, a performance space, a laboratory for Michèle’s vision of how creativity, commerce, and community could intersect.
Les Deux patrons noticed Michèle’s distinctive clothing. When they learned she wore pieces by her employee Rick Owens, word spread. The restaurant became an accidental showroom for his emerging talent.
From Employer to Partner to Lover
Rick worked for Michèle for two years. He later admitted he barely understood her because “she had such a heavy French accent.” But gradually, understanding turned to fascination, and fascination to love.
“So it is true that I am bisexual,” Rick later confirmed, explaining his relationship with Michèle.
What began as an employer-employee relationship transformed into one of fashion’s most important creative partnerships, and eventually, marriage.
The Paris Move and Owenscorp: Building an Empire
In 2003, Michèle and Rick made a decision that would define their future: they left Los Angeles for Paris.
The move was partly motivated by being mugged in LA, but more significantly, Paris represented a return to Michèle’s roots and access to Europe’s fashion capital.
Establishing Owenscorp (2004)
In 2004, Michèle and Rick formally established Owenscorp, their fashion company. Rick later described their business partnership as “asking a gypsy to organize a war with a fascist”, a poetic acknowledgment of their different approaches.
Rick’s role: Design, creative vision, aesthetic direction for clothing
Michèle’s role: Executive Manager Art/Furniture, business strategy, furniture production, creative collaborations, brand experience
This division of labor proved extraordinarily successful. Rick could focus purely on design while Michèle handled the complex logistics of running a luxury fashion brand.
Marriage (2006)
After years of partnership, Michèle and Rick married in 2006. But marriage was almost beside the point, they were already inextricably linked creatively and professionally.
“I don’t think anyone would ever think of Michèle as a passive muse,” Rick said in the 2017 book “Fashion Together: Fashion’s Most Extraordinary Duos on the Art of Collaboration.” “I think that’s why she sparks people’s interest, because she doesn’t fit the typical role of a muse. I think it’s more ‘mate’ than ‘muse.’ ‘Mate’ suggests you are doing something together.”
The Furniture Empire
Michèle’s most significant contribution to the Rick Owens brand is the furniture line, launched in 2005.
Using raw plywood, marble, alabaster, bronze, leather, and moose antlers, the collection draws inspiration from Eileen Gray, Constantin Brâncuși, and California skate parks, creating pieces that are simultaneously primitive and sophisticated.
The process: Rick sketches designs. Michèle creates preliminary models, carves them, adjusts proportions, then hires artisans to produce final pieces.
The furniture has been exhibited at the Musée d’Art Moderne in Paris and the Museum of Contemporary Art Los Angeles. Individual pieces sell for $50,000-$200,000+, making this a highly profitable division.
Rick credits Michèle as “the creative force behind his furniture show”, an acknowledgment that this wouldn’t exist without her vision and execution.
Michèle’s Signature Look: Gold Teeth, Tattoos, and Mystique
Michèle Lamy’s appearance is as carefully cultivated as any Rick Owens collection. Every element tells a story and challenges conventional beauty standards.
The Gold Teeth
Perhaps her most famous feature is her partial gold grill, multiple gold teeth that flash when she smiles or speaks.
In fashion circles where perfectly white veneers are standard, Michèle’s gold teeth represent defiance, toughness, and rejection of mainstream aesthetics. They reference hip-hop culture, ancient civilizations where gold represented wealth, and pirate mythology.
The Tattooed Fingers
Michèle’s fingers are heavily tattooed, adorned with multiple vintage rings stacked high. This isn’t decoration, it’s armor, art, and autobiography rolled into one.
The tattoos extend beyond her hands, covering much of her body in intricate designs that she’s accumulated over decades.
The Henna-Dipped Fingertips
Michèle dips her fingertips in henna, creating a distinctive stained effect. In interviews, she’s suggested this practice connects to North African traditions and adds ritualistic meaning to her appearance.
The Black Forehead Line
A scribbled black line runs down the center of her forehead, sometimes drawn with makeup, sometimes painted. This mark references various traditions: Hindu bindis, indigenous face paint, punk rebellion, and artistic performance.
The Dark Aesthetic
Michèle favors all-black clothing, dramatic cloaks, leather pieces, and sculptural silhouettes, primarily from Rick Owens collections. Her style is simultaneously gothic, futuristic, primitive, and sophisticated.
This carefully constructed appearance has made her one of fashion’s most photographed figures despite (or because of) being 81 years old, proof that compelling personal style transcends youth.
Beyond Fashion: Michèle’s Creative Universe
Michèle refuses to be confined to any single category. Her projects span multiple disciplines, each reflecting her philosophy of collaborative creation.
LAVASCAR: The Band
In 2017, Michèle formed LAVASCAR with artist Nico Vascellari and her daughter Scarlett Rouge. Their debut album “A Dream Deferred” was inspired by Langston Hughes’ poetry.
The band blends experimental sounds, performance art, and musical tradition, exactly the kind of boundary-crossing project Michèle champions.
Music Video Appearances
Michèle has appeared in music videos for:
FKA twigs “Figure 8” (2015): Wearing a headpiece with a luminous bulb imitating an anglerfish Black Asteroid: Various appearances A$AP Rocky collaborations: Rocky recorded songs with Michèle and said, “Hardly anyone knows how important you have been behind the scenes for my career.”
These aren’t vanity appearances, Michèle brings genuine artistic vision and isn’t afraid to look strange or unsettling on camera.
Lamyland: The Creative Laboratory
In 2014, Michèle launched “Lamyland” as an umbrella for independent projects beyond Rick Owens. This includes:
Boxing Gym (2018): Opened at Selfridges London, reinvented every few months, reflecting her 35 years of boxing practice
Performance Series: Curated events featuring artists like David Hoyle at “Outsider Art Fair Paris” (2018)
Installation Art: “Genius You” collaboration with photographer Paul Kooiker at Selfridges (2019)
Battle Royale Film Series (2020): Short films with director Katya Bankowsky showing Michèle preparing for fights
The Venice Biennale (2016)
At the 2016 Venice Biennale, Michèle transformed an old container ship into a floating saloon, turning industrial architecture into social space and performance venue.
This project exemplifies her approach: take something utilitarian, inject it with creativity and community, create an experience people will remember.
Jewelry Design
Michèle designs jewelry with Loree Rodkin, pieces that reflect her gothic, maximalist aesthetic. Heavy rings, sculptural pieces, objects that are more wearable art than conventional jewelry.
Scarlett Rouge: Michèle’s Daughter
Michèle has one daughter, Scarlett Rouge, from her first marriage to experimental filmmaker Richard Newton.
Scarlett is an artist and musician in her own right, having grown up immersed in her mother’s bohemian, creative world. She collaborates frequently with Michèle, most notably in the band LAVASCAR.
Scarlett represents the next generation of the creative lineage Michèle established, proving that her influence extends beyond fashion into a broader artistic legacy.
Rick Owens and Michèle don’t have biological children together, making Scarlett Rick’s stepdaughter and an important part of their extended family.
Why Rick Owens Married Michèle Lamy
People often wonder about the dynamics of Rick and Michèle’s relationship, given their unusual partnership and Rick’s bisexuality. Understanding their bond requires looking beyond conventional relationship models.
Creative Symbiosis
Rick and Michèle aren’t just married, they’re creative collaborators whose work is deeply intertwined. Rick designs clothes; Michèle produces furniture. Rick sketches; Michèle realizes. They critique, challenge, and inspire each other daily.
“I met my honey, Rick Owens, and I will spend my fifties enjoying life with him,” Michèle once said, describing their relationship as fundamentally about mutual enjoyment and creative partnership.
Complementary Strengths
Rick is the visionary designer; Michèle is the pragmatic executor. Rick creates the aesthetic; Michèle builds the business. Rick focuses inward; Michèle engages outward.
As Rick put it: asking a “gypsy to organize a war with a fascist”, their different approaches create productive tension.
Beyond Traditional Marriage
Rick identifies as bisexual. His previous relationships were with men. Michèle had a previous marriage to Richard Newton.
Their partnership transcends conventional categories. It’s not just romantic love, it’s intellectual partnership, business collaboration, artistic symbiosis, and deep companionship.
Rick described Michèle as his “mate” rather than “muse”, emphasizing equality, collaboration, and active creation together rather than passive inspiration.
The Owenscorp Dynamic: How They Work Together
Understanding Owenscorp requires understanding how Rick and Michèle’s partnership functions in practice.
Design Process:
- Rick sketches clothing designs
- Rick sketches furniture designs
- Michèle creates furniture prototypes
- They work together carving, adjusting proportions
- Michèle hires artisans for final production
- Michèle manages art direction and furniture branding
Business Operations:
- Rick: Creative director, clothing design
- Michèle: Executive Manager Art/Furniture, strategic business decisions
- Rick: Brand vision, runway presentations
- Michèle: Experience curation, brand extensions, collaborative projects
Fashion Show Dynamics:
At every Rick Owens show, Michèle has her own seating section for her “tribe”, friends, collaborators, artists she’s championing. She controls who sits where, sometimes overruling PR staff (as one incident with American Vogue’s seats demonstrated).
She doesn’t just attend shows, she shapes the experience, records behind-the-scenes content, influences the energy, and ensures the event reflects their shared vision.
Cultural Impact: The High Priestess of Paris
Michèle is often called the “High Priestess of Paris”, a title that captures her mystical presence, cultural influence, and role as arbiter of taste in fashion’s capital.
Fashion Week Fixture
At Paris Fashion Week, Michèle sits front row at select shows, often surrounded by celebrities who recognize her status. Cardi B has been photographed with her at Rick Owens shows. A$AP Rocky credits her influence on his career.
Instagram Icon (@lalamichmich)
Michèle’s Instagram showcases her distinctive aesthetic and provides behind-the-scenes glimpses into fashion, art, and her daily life. At 81, she’s mastered social media as another canvas for self-expression.
Influence on Younger Designers
Younger designers cite Michèle as inspiration, not for specific designs, but for her approach: fearless self-expression, collaborative creativity, rejection of age-based limitations, commitment to craft.
Challenging Age and Beauty Standards
In an industry obsessed with youth, Michèle proves that charisma, creativity, and style transcend age. Her 81-year-old face and body, unaltered by cosmetic surgery, adorned with tattoos and gold teeth, challenge every assumption about who gets to be visible and celebrated in fashion.
Myths, Rumors, and the Truth
Given Michèle’s mystical appearance and enigmatic persona, numerous myths have circulated:
Myth: She’s Moroccan, Algerian, or Gypsy Truth: She’s French, born in Jura, though her aesthetic draws inspiration from many cultures
Myth: She was raised by wolves in the Ardennes Truth: She had a privileged provincial upbringing she rebelled against
Myth: She’s a vampire, 1,600 years old Truth: She’s 81 (born 1944) but her ageless aesthetic fuels such speculation
Myth: She’s a witch or arms dealer Truth: She’s a fashion entrepreneur and artist, though her gothic aesthetic invites supernatural associations
The persistence of these myths speaks to Michèle’s success at cultivating mystery, she’s created a persona so compelling that people invent fantastical explanations for her existence.
What Is Michèle Lamy Known For?
Michèle Lamy is known for being a culture and fashion figure, Rick Owens’ wife and business partner, co-founder of Owenscorp, furniture producer, jewelry designer, performer, film producer, band member (LAVASCAR), boxing enthusiast, and style icon whose gold teeth, tattoos, and avant-garde aesthetic have made her one of fashion’s most photographed personalities.
For a deeper look at Rick Owens’ wealth and their combined empire, read our complete breakdown of Rick Owens net worth.
Frequently Asked Questions
Rick Owens married Michèle Lamy because she’s his creative partner, business collaborator, and intellectual equal, their relationship transcends traditional marriage, combining romantic partnership with artistic symbiosis and shared vision for their fashion empire.
Michèle Lamy is known for being Rick Owens’ wife and business partner, co-founding Owenscorp, producing Rick Owens furniture, her distinctive style (gold teeth, tattoos, henna-dipped fingers), collaborative art projects, music (band LAVASCAR), and her role as a fashion icon and cultural figure.
Michèle Lamy is 81 years old as of 2025, born on February 5, 1944 (though some sources list April 20, 1944) in Jura, France.
Yes, Michèle Lamy has one daughter, Scarlett Rouge, an artist and musician from her previous marriage to filmmaker Richard Newton. Michèle and Rick Owens do not have children together.
Final Thoughts
Michèle Lamy’s story is proof that the most interesting lives aren’t lived in straight lines. From defense attorney to cabaret dancer to restaurateur to fashion mogul to boxing gym owner to band member, she’s reinvented herself repeatedly while maintaining a coherent creative vision.
Her net worth of $5-15 million reflects only the financial dimension of her success. Her real wealth lies in cultural capital: the influence, connections, and creative vision that make her one of fashion’s most important figures despite never being a traditional “designer.”
At 81, Michèle continues defying expectations. While most people her age are retired, she’s producing furniture, forming bands, appearing in music videos, curating installations, and challenging every assumption about age, beauty, and creativity in contemporary culture.
Her partnership with Rick Owens demonstrates that the most successful relationships, personal or professional, are those where both partners elevate each other. Rick designs the clothes that made him famous, but Michèle built the business infrastructure, produced the furniture, created the experiences, and shaped the brand’s cultural positioning.
In an industry that too often reduces women to supporting roles, Michèle Lamy stands as equal partner, co-creator, and independent force. She’s not “just” Rick Owens’ wife, she’s the High Priestess of Paris, and she’s built that crown herself.
