By Julien C Levy
Photos by David Katzinger
28-year-old American fashion designer Doni Nahmias works hard on a laid-back aesthetic.
Speaking to us from his home in SoCal, still jet-lagged from a “productive” tour of Europe, Nahmias cites the influence of skateboard, surf and athletic wear on his brand’s “California grunge” designs. ’90s chic, hip-hop swag—and perhaps most importantly, the aura of the Southern California coast—resonate in its billowing silhouettes. It’s couture to cool down; informal luxury.
But like the proverbial duck swimming on a lake, both Nahmias and his eponymous brand feign a frenzy of hard work.
Neither grinding nor chilling alone makes as much impression as the interaction of the two – a lesson that the self-taught Nahmias had to learn the hard way.
Starting with little more than taste, intuition and ambition, Nahmias built a brand from scratch, honing designs while working side jobs and commuting to LA for trunk shows. “There were definitely a lot of moments where I wanted to give up and move back home,” Nahmias recalls. Designer Mike Amiri saw the potential in the young buck and took Nahmias under his wing, pulling back the 1,000-thread-count Pima cotton curtain on how a designer brand works. “I think he saw a bit of himself in me – my hunger and my drive,” says Nahmias.
Amiri’s first assignment as his mentor? Always with Tranquillity. “He kind of said to me, ‘Pause what you’re doing. Get in the studio and record whatever you can.’”
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The sun-drenched ambience of SoCal is Nahmias’ most common source of inspiration. “Random people on the street I see [are] my very personal style icons,” he says. Consider the glitzy corner of California where Nahmias popped up and it makes sense.
“Summerland” isn’t just Nahmias’ hometown, it’s a mantra, a quality, a vibe that splatters across his clothes. Nahmias insists many brands have been following that presence but not capturing it: “They’re trying to make that surf/skate story, but maybe they’ve never surfed or skated in their life.” Meanwhile, globetrotter Nahmias claims, to land a kickflip. “I like climbing stairs,” he says.
And it seems its California soul is a key ingredient in the brand’s secret sauce.
Labels bearing the Nahmias name can now be found in upscale retail outlets worldwide. He has worked with Grammy-winning producers and formed partnerships with global brands. A-list celebrities rock his wares.
It’s a far cry from relaxing on the beach or rocking between the waves. “In the past few seasons, I haven’t had that many eyes on me,” he says. “Now, at the start of these seasons, we have editors from Vogue, GQ, Esquire [watching].” Still, he need look no further than his own roots to stabilize. “I think that California vibe, it’s always easy, relaxed, ‘Everything’s going to be fine.’ Having that mentality along with the strong work ethic worked.”
Photo by David Katzinger
Like clothing, tattoos are a way for Nahmias to express a person’s essence. “You put [tattoos] on your body for people to see,” he explains. “Realistically, people look at them even if they’re for yourself.” With that in mind, he may not design garments specifically to show off tattoos, but he does think about how sleeves wear a tattooed arm and know that one Cutout just as likely to be ink-framed as a piece of jewellery.
While visible tattoos are new on the Paris runways, Nahmias grew up admiring the inked bodies on Santa Barbara beaches and basketball courts, and got his first tattoo when he was 14. “My mom killed me,” he laughs.
Now his body is covered in black and gray bits that reflect his journey: forearm wrapped in a tailor’s tape measure, fingers adorned with the phrase “Kick Rocks” – which is also emblazoned on his clothes, along with “Miracle,” a word that means Nahmias wears around his neck. Nahmias’ stomach is reminiscent of one of his stylistic polestars, the late rapper Tupac Shakur, whose body art exemplified his trademark West Coast gangsta swagger.
get tattooed? Yet another setting where Nahmias’ dual nature is at work. “My tattoo artists and hairdressers hate me,” he says. “I always turn around.” It’s not the pain that makes him uncomfortable, he emphasizes, but the standstill. He wants to have his whole back done but doesn’t know how to stop moving long enough.
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The past few years have been a whirlwind for the not even 30-year-old couturier. “To be able to bring my upbringing and bring California to Paris at a luxury level is very special,” he says. “A piece of me that’s authentic and intimate to share with the world, especially in Europe, and people connect to that?” Reflecting on how far he’s come leaves him almost at a loss. But then he sums it up in his laid back Southern Californian style and says, “It’s cool.”