A few months ago Jonathan Simkhai sprung for an early- admission ticket to the Rose Bowl Flea Market in Pasadena ($20 versus the usual $12). It proved to be a worthwhile purchase. “It’s still pitch-dark when you get there,” he said of his 5 a.m. arrival. “You’re basically walking around with your flashlight on.” He noticed a group of people huddled around one particular booth. There, the seller was pulling old military jackets out of his van. “Each piece just had so much character,” Simkhai said, which was the same reaction he had when he went to a booth brimming with antique brooches. The trip would inform a collection of fall 2025 pieces that was decidedly modern but also appeared as though it had a past life.
Chunky cashmere sweaters were distressed at the hems, oversized leather jackets looked lived-in, and motorcycle boots—some hit mid-calf and others were over-the-knee—had seemingly already been out for a spin. “We left the stray stitches to show the construction and the tailoring,” Simkhai said, pointing to the loose threads hanging from a boxy blazer. The same technique was employed for a double-layer bustier and matching skirt. Knit hot shorts and cardigans were elevated with crystal embellishments. “We don’t like to skimp out and only do the front,” he said. “When you’re walking away, you need to be as glamorous as when you’re walking in.” His ornate, heavy-metal finale dresses were festooned with a mix of brooches, some sourced by design director Kittiya Punprapun in her hometown in Thailand, some found at the flea market, and others made in-house by Simkhai’s design team.
Though Simkhai doesn’t claim that his looks are “saving the world”—a world that often feels polarizing and heavy—he does aim to design pieces that uplift. “There are days when I don’t want to get out of bed, but I think about a jacket that I have in the closet or a pair of pants, and I’m like, You know what? I m going to put this on, I’m going to go to work, I’m going to rally the troops, and we’re going to keep going,” he said. With this collection, he was going in a very promising direction.
