Spring / Summer 2026, “Around The Bend.” An afternoon on the San Gabriel River in Southern California.
Jetlagged, typing from my garden after returning from Paris last night from our fashion week showroom. The collection follows two core themes throughout. 1, contrasting the material with the silhouette it’s found on and showcasing these materials in a new context. 2, letting the location inspire and almost dictate the colour palette and styling.
The lookbook was shot on a bend of the San Gabriel river about an hour north of our studio in Los Angeles. We found this place while hiking in the area a few months prior and used this specific location as the north star for designing SS26. Sometimes literally, the camo pattern comes from natural elements found and photographed nearby at the time. Sometimes a little more abstract, the idea of models in tailored suits standing in the middle of the river is an interesting contradiction to me. In terms of styling, the barefoot aspect was something initially planned for just the first and last look but quickly turned into every look after trying to balance on the rock tying the shoes… happy accident.
 |
 |
The first pieces designed for this season were the translucent nylon looks, shown heavily in looks 1-5. Showing this collection alongside the first independent RCOS season at our showroom last week really helped articulate the act of having to “split my brain in half.” I consider any idea when it comes to me at 50% of its potential, the hard part is then deciding which collection to bring it to 100% with. RCOS uses a lot of the same materials, such as this translucent nylon. For RCOS, it’s found in more traditional use cases such as running jackets & shorts whereas for the RCI collection, we wanted to flip the context and apply it to more formal silhouettes like the blazer and coat.
 |
 |
In my conversation with Vogue Runway last week, I told them a lot of these styles come from designing for real life. I mentioned how ridiculous it felt a couple months ago, having been designing for roughly 9 years, having to stop to get a suit on the way to the airport for my cousin's wedding. The SS26 collection features a lot more “mature” silhouettes such as the suiting and tailoring for this exact reason. Following the theme of applying materials in a new context, our double breasted blazer and pleated trousers are made from an American cotton ripstop we’ve previously only used for cargo pants & work shirts.
 |
 |
The flip to this design logic is figuring out a way to make something traditional but still apply the overall design DNA. The wool blazers & trousers feature the oversized cargo pockets and bungee cording in the waist to adjust the silhouette as needed. The classic oxford shirt has 5 cargo pockets that wrap around the body as if it’s actually an angler shirt. Playing to the strengths of our LA manufacturing, a lot of the collection is made from heavy duck canvas & denim. These styles get the same treatment by applying those materials to silhouettes we’d normally only make from something more "elegant."
 |
 |
 |
 |
Overall, the SS26 collection to me is the clearest picture of these design themes we’ve started and continued for a few years now. This is made possible by the main “rule” of only working with friends. Everyone on our (small) set is someone we truly care about and that helps the vision come to life in ways you can’t predict. Very excited to finally be able to share these images and help set the tone for what’s to come.
Reese