This season, Jonathan Simkhai didn’t wanted to be sequestered backstage, away from friends and supporters of his brand.
“ It was all about like community for me this season, and wanting to bring the community together and be able to connect with people,” said the designer, who hosted a celebratory dinner for his collection on Friday night at downtown creative hub WSA. Racks of clothing and accessories were displayed throughout the minimal sixth-floor gallery space, set up for press appointments earlier in the day. “Fashion, for me, it’s about celebration. The brand is really about celebration and also like feeling good and being around people you love; people like your closest friends and the people that support you, and being together.”
Before dinner, guests including Naomi Watts, Helena Christensen, Matt Bomer and “The Pitt” star Supriya Ganesh were able to take a closer look at the collection as servers passed around trays of cocktails and mocktails. For those feeling the strain of the week, one option included a liposomal vitamin C supplement for immune support.
Supriya Ganesh
Lexie Moreland/WWD
“ I love Simkhai. Whenever my stylist has his stuff on my fitting rail, I’m always like, ‘Ooh. I gotta try it.’ It’s right up my alley. It’s just so simple, so structural and it’s so elevated,” said Ganesh. “ Even before I booked [‘The Pitt’], I’ve been shopping at Simkhai. I love when brands I naturally had an affinity to already send me stuff and invite me to their things.”
Ganesh is in town attending her first fashion week and doing press for “The Pitt,” which is midway through its second season.
”We already knew something was different about the show just with how people were reacting with Season One, but I think with Season Two it’s really just hit this cultural zeitgeist moment,” said Ganesh, who stars on the show as resident Dr. Samira Mohan. “I feel like my life has changed in ways that I think I can’t even really process right now,” she added. “I just need to look back and kind of go, ‘huh, there wasn’t a press line trying to take photos of me a year ago.’ Trying to put that in perspective sometimes is difficult. My life has just changed exponentially in this wonderful, beautiful, amazing way.”
During dinner, musician Malcolm McRae — who’s featured in Simkhai’s campaign imagery, and is also Anya Taylor-Joy’s husband — performed a song for the crowd, while Mia Moretti stepped up for DJ duty.