Designer Patrik Ervell is the epitome of OC OG, having started his brand just as his UC Berkeley friends Carol and Humberto first opened the doors of Opening Ceremony. This season, Patrik is going back to Cali and pulling from his Marin County upbringing—think the sea and sailing as inspiration. A dynamic ocean print, boat-safety details, and waterproof fabric treatments all add seafaring touches to Patrik's classic, uniform menswear. In true OG form, Patrik sent over some exclusive lookbook images—which we have made into a slideshow—showcasing some of our favorite pieces. Check out the juiciest tidbits from our interview with the designer below.
See the OC-exclusive lookbook HERE | Shop all Patrik Ervell here
DANA MELANZ: Let’s start by talking about what inspired your collection.
PATRIK ERVELL: This season, we were looking a lot at the aesthetic of sailing. I think there's always an excuse to look at performance outerwear, the technical details and fabrics. It started to feel very nautical, but hopefully, not in a way that’s expected. I mean, you think of nautical as a reference that’s trotted out every few seasons by somebody. But I think the collection felt nautical in a different way, a sort of sci-fi nautical. And sailing was a reference, like the way some of the clothes are put together with the over-lock stitching and the reinforced seams. It’s kind of been an ongoing point of reference for me that clothes made for a natural environment end up looking the most insane, sci-fi, and technical.
At your Spring/Summer show, there was something said about sailors’ uniforms. Are you trying to develop a uniform?
I always like a uniform. It’s always something that I think looks great, especially for men. I wear a uniform. I wear the same clothes every day for months on end. And then, I usually change in six-month intervals. I like the idea of selling a uniform; I think that’s an appealing thing for men—developing your own uniforms, that’s dressing well.
So what kind of uniform do you try to develop?
People say it’s clean. This season, there was a lot of patterns. If you’re using a newer technology like digital printing, why not use a photo-real image? To me, that seems like the most obvious choice. So each season, it’s an actual photo image of something: the ocean water or the Japanese sakura blossom over ocean water.
There are definitely a lot of printed pieces in this collection.
I like the look of an all-over printed T-shirt. In menswear, there are only certain garments that you can make that are still believable when covered with a crazy print. A T-shirt is one of them, it’s like an easy solution.
And you did those shorts that have the contrast, too.
Yes, those are printed silk and cotton. That’s another piece where it still feels believable.
Are you using the prints as a statement?
It’s central to the collection, for sure. I think it’s exciting to be using photo-real imagery and not altering it. It’s literally a photograph of ocean water.
Where is the photo from?
I don’t want to give away my secret sources, but it’s stock photographs.
What inspired you to use an ocean print?
See the OC-exclusive lookbook HERE | Shop all Patrik Ervell here
DANA MELANZ: Let’s start by talking about what inspired your collection.
PATRIK ERVELL: This season, we were looking a lot at the aesthetic of sailing. I think there's always an excuse to look at performance outerwear, the technical details and fabrics. It started to feel very nautical, but hopefully, not in a way that’s expected. I mean, you think of nautical as a reference that’s trotted out every few seasons by somebody. But I think the collection felt nautical in a different way, a sort of sci-fi nautical. And sailing was a reference, like the way some of the clothes are put together with the over-lock stitching and the reinforced seams. It’s kind of been an ongoing point of reference for me that clothes made for a natural environment end up looking the most insane, sci-fi, and technical.
At your Spring/Summer show, there was something said about sailors’ uniforms. Are you trying to develop a uniform?
I always like a uniform. It’s always something that I think looks great, especially for men. I wear a uniform. I wear the same clothes every day for months on end. And then, I usually change in six-month intervals. I like the idea of selling a uniform; I think that’s an appealing thing for men—developing your own uniforms, that’s dressing well.
So what kind of uniform do you try to develop?
People say it’s clean. This season, there was a lot of patterns. If you’re using a newer technology like digital printing, why not use a photo-real image? To me, that seems like the most obvious choice. So each season, it’s an actual photo image of something: the ocean water or the Japanese sakura blossom over ocean water.
There are definitely a lot of printed pieces in this collection.
I like the look of an all-over printed T-shirt. In menswear, there are only certain garments that you can make that are still believable when covered with a crazy print. A T-shirt is one of them, it’s like an easy solution.
And you did those shorts that have the contrast, too.
Yes, those are printed silk and cotton. That’s another piece where it still feels believable.
Are you using the prints as a statement?
It’s central to the collection, for sure. I think it’s exciting to be using photo-real imagery and not altering it. It’s literally a photograph of ocean water.
Where is the photo from?
I don’t want to give away my secret sources, but it’s stock photographs.
What inspired you to use an ocean print?