It was Doni Nahmias’ third showing in Paris, but the first with a full-scale international audience for his softened-up California streetwear silhouettes. Already high in the buzz stakes — celebrity fans include Justin and Hailey Bieber, Lewis Hamilton and Jennifer Lopez — the self-taught designer ramped up the buzz factor with a performance from rapper Kodak Black, with whom he created a capsule this season and who also walked the show.
The collection saw Nahmias flex his design muscles. Dubbed “California Poetry,” it integrated his first tailoring and a broadened knitwear proposition. The former included a wide-shouldered suit in vivid purple with heart motifs on the lapel and “love” and “war” embroidered on the cuffs, part of the aforementioned collaboration and reprising the title of one of Kodak Black’s hits.
The latter offered colorful total looks hand-crocheted in Peru and lived-in-looking balaclavas with floppy rabbit ears, one of Nahmias’ chosen motifs for the season. (Many looks were styled with fluffy rabbit slippers, an incongruous yet cute touch.)
His silhouettes were baggier, referencing ’90s hip-hop culture, with oversize jerseys and grungy varsity references given a current streetwear spin in shades of mauve, brown and black.
Denims were patchworked and frayed to evoke the label’s flag logo or appliquéd with varsity style lettering, with some of the letters removed after washing to reveal the darker hue beneath. Fake furs were covered with scribbles, and check fabrics evocative of the grunge era were loosely tailored into a floppy coat or a wide vest.
The poetic references of the collection’s name were most apparent in motifs featuring the delicate California poppy, which figured on a boxy total look in ecru denim embroidered with the brand’s logo in script, or with its vivid petals seeming to undulate over the bottom half of a silk pajama set.
Above the field of flowers, the pattern gave way to a skyscape in lilac on which the famous Hollywood sign was replaced with the name of Nahmias’ hometown, Summerland. This was a prime example of how Nahmias continues to cultivate street cred with a welcome lyrical touch.