Jonathan Simkhai Designed a Wine Bottle for Good Cause
Jonathan Simkhai’s latest collaboration extends beyond the runway. The designer joined forces with Frank Family Vineyards for a yearlong partnership supporting Dress for Success Worldwide, bringing together fashion and wine in support of a nonprofit that helps women achieve economic mobility.
“[It’s] an organization that empowers women. And at Simkhai, we very much love women’s empowerment,” the designer and creative director told Fashionista. “I think that fashion has a way of really giving confidence and empowering people, making them feel their best. There are so many days [when] I wake up and don’t feel like doing something and then I have this amazing outfit and I put it on and all of a sudden ta-da, I can do it.”
The collab actually began during Simkhai’s Spring 2027 New York Fashion Week show, when the Frank Family team poured wine for guests and celebrated with celebs at Simkhai’s after party. It was a sneak peek at the new partnership: Simkhai x Frank Family Vineyards 2024 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon ($90), available as part of Frank Family Vineyards’ annual Frank for a Cause charitable giving campaign.
Simkhai translated the intricate guipure lace detailing on his Lina Lace Mini Dress from the Summer 2026 collection into a custom wine bottle design. On Oct. 24, he presented both the dress and the limited-edition Cabernet Sauvignon alongside his holiday collection at a fashion show and luncheon in Napa Valley.
Photo: Mahelly Ferreira for Drew Altizer Photography
The lace detail on the wine and throughout his designs has a personal meaning, he told attendees at the wine country event. His grandfather had a lace mill in Iran in the 1970s. “I always try to find ways to incorporate lace into my design,” he said. “Lace is a very important fabric for us and I just love the way that it feels sensual and [transparent] and architectural at the same time.” He was also drawn to the juxtaposition of “something feminine with something architectural or graphic, something hard, something soft,” a contrast that informed the bottle’s design.
The designer wanted to work with Frank Family Vineyards because both companies “really love craftsmanship and attention to detail and really take a lot of pride in what we do: the workmanship, the craftsmanship, the process,” he says. Showing his holiday collection in Napa Valley also allowed him to reach new customers (there was a Simkhai pop-up with clothes to buy on-site).
“Being able to collaborate with industries outside of fashion is always so eye-opening because you see different perspectives as different business owners have different objectives and different ways of running their businesses and also the way that they reach people,” he explains.
Photo: Mahelly Ferreira for Drew Altizer Photography
It’s also about celebration, Simkhai said. “This is the most beautiful day, the most perfect setting, being here in Napa Valley amongst the great vineyards and seeing fashion and clothing and drinking wine and being amongst friends,” he continued. “So much of what we do at Simkhai is about celebration and dressing for life and dressing for those special moments. And what better way to celebrate a moment than with a glass in hand?”
Disclosure: Frank Family Vineyards paid for Fashionista’s travel and accommodations to report this story.
