It began with a trip to the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.
“The design team and myself, we went on a little excursion to LACMA for the exhibition, ‘Woven Histories: Textiles and Modern Abstractions’,” Jonathan Simkhai explained over Zoom from his home in LA. The outing served as inspiration for a collection with both tactile and streamlined appeal. “Obviously I love embroideries and different weaving techniques like macramés,” Simkhai said, “but then pairing them against things that are quite clean and sculpted. I like that tension, that dichotomy—something soft with something sculpted or something crafty with something modern.”
On the texture-heavy front, a black gown morphs from a structured bodice to a ball skirt that’s pleated and bonded into a checkerboard-like pattern. Sequins adorn the neckline and hem of a mini dress, sewn to create a rounded, 3D embellishment. “This is all a guipure embroidery technique,” Simkhai said of a dress featuring a placed motif. “My grandfather had a lace mill, so I’m always trying to find ways to flip guipure and embroideries, and make them feel different.”
With a fashion calendar that makes see-now, buy-now, wear-now nearly impossible for fall and spring collections, Simkhai aims for pre-spring to offer instant gratification—both with a delivery just ahead of the holidays, and his use of fabrics like draped jersey. “You can wear it any time of year,” he said of the textile, which was employed for an ombré midi dress with a hint or ruching and the waist. Similarly, a woven fringe dress is an obvious holiday party option, but appropriate for well after the new year; the green is “limey and punchy,” Simkhai said—“not too on the holiday nose.”
When we spoke, Simkhai was already in the throes of designing his forthcoming collections, and totally content to be on the fashion treadmill. “I’m really inspired by my clients,” he said. “They love fashion, and they love seeing what’s next and what’s new. It really keeps me going.”
