Like the clothes that have made him a menswear favorite, Evan Kinori is a pragmatic, straightforward guy. The San Francisco-based designer has decamped to New York for 10 days to stage an exhibition, “apple, elm & cotton,” launching a debut collection of furniture, which, also like his fashion, is sure to develop a fervent fan base. This is Kinori’s first time putting on a show in New York, and a rare opportunity for him to engage with his followers face-to-face beyond his store, which he opened in San Francisco’s Mission District in 2021.
Kinori, who grew up in Connecticut and studied patternmaking in San Francisco before starting his brand in 2015, has become known in a specific but loyal pocket of menswear-philes for his simple, yet considered silhouettes and deeply researched approach to manufacturing. (Will Welch, the GQ global editorial director, wore a bespoke sumi-ink velvet tux to the Met Gala earlier this month, standing out in a sea of trad tuxedos.) Most of Kinori’s fabrics, around 80% to 90%, as he explained at a walkthrough, come from small Japanese mills. He uses only natural fibers—wool, linen, hemp, and cotton—in natural colors. “The shapes are simple, so the material is important,” he said of his slouchy two-pleat trousers, casual overshirts, and softly tailored two or three button jackets, all of which evoke a sense of comfort.
