California-based designer Doni Nahmias is itching to get his collection back on a runway, but in the meantime, he found the next best thing: the sandy beaches of Santa Monica. There, he shot his spring 2027 lookbook, titled “Patina,” in a mere two hours to take advantage of the dusky sky as it mellowed from lambent glow into a rich navy blue (bonus points for capturing the Santa Monica pier’s famed ferris wheel light up in the background).
Nahmias has built a tapped-in following for his surf- and skate-inspired wares—boxy workwear-style outerwear, oversized shorts, and pants in the vein of some beat-up old Carhartts. He’s also had a banner year with the viral Marty Supreme jacket he made for Timotheé Chalamet’s press tour and a partnership with Formula 1. As a whole, his work represents the distinct contours of a certain cool LA guy archetype: vintage in feel, luxe in execution.
If I went into our showroom appointment thinking I had Nahmias pegged as a swaggering bro-type, this collection helped broaden my perception. See: the surprisingly delicate lace, handmade in India and including a motif of one of his three dachshunds, Mimi, that he used to patch up distressed cotton shirting and shorts. Or the small butterfly embroidery near the pocket on a pair of jeans, the hippie-ish floral crocheting at the waistband of baggy cotton trousers, or the childlike whimsy of faded fake tattoos on a camouflage army jacket and matching pants (Nahmias has plenty of the real kind himself). They were surprisingly wholesome details that added not just some personal easter eggs, but infused a bit of unexpected carefree California spirit to the collection. “It’s all about taking something childish, kiddish, and refining it with textures and blending the old and the new,” the designer said. They’re also details, it should be said, that would be lost on a catwalk.
Other highlights included distressed and worn-in suede pieces, like those long shorts and a matching top in a track jacket silhouette; a slouchy Baja style knit handwoven in Peru, wispy distressed t-shirts with faded graphics (this season “Paris Kinda Sucks”), and the brand’s MVP jacket, made from patchwork leather. The overall takeaway being, don’t assume you’ve got Nahmias figured out—you might be surprised at what you find when you look closer.