Article | Conversation With Designer Jonathan Simkhai Phillips Auction Fashion Art

SIMKHAI has been hot on the rise as of late, with garments seen adorning well-loved cultural figures ranging from Naomi Watts to Jalen Brunson and everywhere in between. The designs drape a figure effortlessly, but at Phillips, we’ve been particularly drawn to how the designer incorporates hand-detailing and inspiration from architecture and sculpture. So, it only makes sense that Phillips’ New York gallery is the backdrop for SIMKHAI’s fall runway show this year. Below, we share our inspiring chat with the designer alongside a few highlights both from his collection and our upcoming Modern & Contemporary Art auction.

PHILLIPS: Jonathan, we’re thrilled to showcase your latest collection in the Phillips gallery. Please tell us a bit about the collection — what’s the story you’re telling this season?

JONATHAN SIMKHAI: I wanted to create a collection of pieces that in some ways seem quite simple in their silhouette but contain a lot of design nuance and craftsmanship in their construction. There are pieces that feel like wardrobe heroes that can layer into your existing closet for years to come, and some special showpieces showcasing incredible textures and fabrications. As the collection progresses on the runway, you will see hemlines start to decay and deconstruct, and you will see takes on my favorite materials to work with: leather, lace, satin and mixed media embellishments.

P: You are showing where art usually hangs, a space where our sense of sight is heightened and charged. Does this impact how you thought of the collection or how you view it now?

JS: Yes, I have been to the gallery several times before, and when I previewed the space with this show in mind, I was so inspired. The scale of the gallery has allowed me to be bold in the way we show the collection, and it has created a grand canvas for the pieces to walk against. We are planning to bring in an installation for the runway, which I’m really excited about.

P: At Phillips, we think a lot about what draws certain artists to certain mediums. What can you tell us about your personal relationship with textiles? And is there a particular fabric you keep returning to?

JS: The textiles that I work with are one of the most important aspects of my designs. My grandfather owned a lace mill in Tehran in the 1970s and I have been fascinated with it from a young age. I particularly love Guipure lace and working on new ways to incorporate it into my designs. Leather is a more recent fabric that I love to work with. We have been increasing our leather and suede offering for several seasons, and I love developing new treatments and silhouettes. You will see both leather and lace in this new runway collection, but realized in unexpected ways and with new treatments. I also love combining different textiles in unusual ways — I love to work with mixed media, and you will see this in the embellishments this season.

P: Your work is often described as embracing both fluidity and architectural structure. How do you approach line, form, and negative space when you imagine a new silhouette?

JS: When I am creating silhouettes it’s about the balance between strength and softness. I like the term sculpted sensuality, and a lot of my work sits in the tension between these two ideas. I love to create something that is bold but also easy to wear, and that serves a purpose in the person’s wardrobe. Form is important to me, and I love to work with the SIMKHAI atelier team to drape on the form as we are developing a new silhouette.

P: Outside of fashion, which visual artists or designers have the greatest impact on your work?

JS: I love both art and design, and at the moment I have been looking at a sculptor called Edoardo Cozzani a lot. I always try to visit galleries and museums every time I am in a new city to draw new inspiration.

P: What does your studio look like when you’re in the thick of it?

JS: We’re actually very organized, and I am a minimalist at heart, so whilst the energy can be frenetic, we like to keep our space ordered.

P: What would be your dream artwork to own?

JS: An impossible question, but one would be Henri Matisse, Nu bleu IV, Nice, from 1952.