The Tamesis
The new Nahmias collection is called Wipeout: a surf and skateboard term meaning to hit hard. “It’s really that feeling of excitement and discomfort of almost conquering something and what the consequences might be. I surf and skate, and then I’m exhausted. I just wanted to put that energy into the collection,” said Doni Nahmias backstage before the show. Is annihilation a metaphor for an independent designer? “I’d say the same,” he replied.
Yet the designer, who founded his namesake menswear label in California in 2018, is currently thriving. He collaborated with Timothée Chalamet and his stylist Taylor McNeill on the sold-out Marty Supreme clothing line, and this season he’s back on the Paris runway after a three-year hiatus. (Nahmias has been showing in a Paris showroom since its last show in fall 2023). Next up is an official collaboration with Formula 1 in multiple pop-up stores and on Didi.
Today’s off-calendar show at the Palais de Tokyo felt like a jolt of California optimism through the cold winter, especially since he treated guests to a soundtrack of The Beach Boys’ “Good Vibrations.” The 39 looks are an ode to Californian style, including beaded denim in a splashy look, suede gray camo pants, and oversized baggy swim trunks with a Hawaiian surf print, also in suede. “It takes away the whole world [of surfing] Nahmias said. The collection also featured elements of Nahmias-style tailoring and suiting: The pants had a waistband like old swimming trunks and a string at the bottom that allowed you to tuck them into socks. “It was like surfers raiding their parents’ closets,” said Gro Curtis, consulting fashion editor at Nahmias. Other standout pieces were chunky sweaters, designed by Curtis that were described as “very Kurt Cobain-esque.”
The show kicks off with a Puma collaboration, starting with the Puma Suede in three colorways to be released in February, followed by the Puma Speedcat and matching apparel collection in April. Nahmias also introduced loafers and boat shoes, as well as new accessories and high-end jewelry (a mushroom-shaped pendant will take you back.) “He was just making clothes that he and his friends, including Timothee Chalamet, Justin Bieber and Charles Leclerc, wanted to wear,” Curtis said. “His point of view is practical. It’s not a blatant fashion or trend. Doni stands by his belief that streetwear is not dead. He changes his style season after season in a very gentle way.”
This season, Nahmias collaborated with artist John Massé to develop his own hand-drawn comics inspired by ’90s comics. In addition to releasing multiple 35-second episodes on social media, the characters have been incorporated into the series, appearing on sweaters, bags and keychains. The animated series stars a skater, a basketball player, a drunken surfer and a French fashion critic, following the trio as they humorously explore the “secret sauce” of California style. I felt seen.
