Rick Owens SS26 Biker Level

The name is a compound of two house terms and both are visible on the garment. Level refers to the shoulder seams, which run straight across rather than following the natural slope, and it is one of the constructions this house puts on nearly everything it makes. Biker points at the motorcycle jacket vocabulary that has run through the collections for years, translated here into a knit: cropped above the hip, close through the body, ribbed at every opening.

The centre back spine line is the third house mark and the one that is easiest to miss. It runs the length of the back and it is a knit line rather than a seam, which means it is built into the structure of the fabric on the machine rather than added afterward. That is a slower way to make a sweater and it is the detail that most reliably identifies one of these.

Brushed, so the surface has been raised and the handle is softer and warmer than the gauge would suggest.

Why we selected it

Three house signatures on one plain black sweater, which is efficient. We bought it because it is the short crew that goes under everything else we carry from this designer, and because the spine line makes it worth looking at from behind, which is not true of most crew necks. It is also an undemanding piece from a house that is not often undemanding, and a range needs one of those.

Level shoulder seams and the knit line down the centre back spine are two of this house’s persistent construction marks, and this piece carries both.

Materials and construction

Made in Italy, in black, with a brushed finish. Above-hip length, round neck, ribbed neckline, cuffs, and hem, level shoulder seams, and a knit line running down the centre back spine.

Fit notes

Above the hip and close through the body, so it works as a layer under something open and reads as a crop worn alone. Ribbing at the neck, cuffs, and hem holds those points and lets the body of the knit relax between them. A brushed finish softens with wear and can pill slightly at friction points in the first weeks, which is normal for any raised surface.

Styling

Under either leather outershirt. Over a long-sleeved tee with the cuffs showing. With black trousers, where the crop and the rib hem do the shaping.

Care

Fold it, do not hang it, and air it between wearings rather than washing it. When it does need washing, hand wash cool, dry flat, and reshape while damp. A brushed surface should not be brushed back; leave it alone. Our care guidance covers the general ground.

Related pieces

Alongside it, the SS26 Sleeveless Turtleneck and the SS26 Cropped Rib Long Sleeve. Underneath it, the Rib LS T. Our note on the SS26 Temple collection is in the Library. Everything we currently hold from Rick Owens is listed together.