A Season of Nothingness with Kotn
Why I’m leaning into a different sense of timelessness this summer.
Lately, I’ve been thinking about how good it feels to do... nothing.
The kind of nothing where you lose track of time at a downtown café, or get caught in a two-hour conversation that was supposed to be a quick catch-up over coffee.
There’s an energy to those fleeting moments akin to what some might call the flow state—giving yourself up to the moment, with no schedule or concern for the future. A collective unhurriedness where being late is part of the charm.
When Kotn asked me to take a look at their new Spring/Summer 2025 collection, aptly titled Stories of Nothingness from Everywhere, I knew we were of the same mind.
Slow-paced days, uncharted excursions, and golden hour gatherings are exactly what I crave this time of year, and they’ve done a great job capturing that same feeling.
Kotn, if you don’t know, is a certified B Corp that's been making solid essentials for over a decade: sustainably crafted, beautifully simple pieces that actually last. They work directly with over 5,000 smallholder farmers, invest in local communities through education initiatives like their ABCs Project, and build everything with care for the people and places behind it. Not only are there no shortcuts, but they are actively looking at ways to give back and grow with the people who support them.
This season feels especially intimate. As Kotn’s co-founder Rami Helali put it to me, the collection was inspired by the long, leisurely summer days of his childhood. It’s a love letter to drawling afternoons in Cairo cafés, to shisha sessions that stretch past sunset, to the beauty of arguing, laughing, sharing fruit with neighbors and strangers, and forgetting what time it is because it doesn’t matter anyway.
It’s also about Arab taste—not just in what is worn, but in how to move through the world. The campaign was directed, shot, and told entirely by Arab creatives who have lived the third-culture experience themselves. The world they’ve tapped into is real. Nostalgic, but still alive. Full of sunlight and easy afternoons, just like the ones we all experienced as kids.
To me, MENA and its diaspora have always, at their best, embodied a kind of elegance that’s about ease, intentionality, and timelessness. It follows that the clothing reflects that.
What I’ve Been Wearing
I’ve pulled a few favorites from Kotn’s collection—pieces that felt like they’ve belonged in my closet since those summers as a kid, albeit a little more refined. Here’s my honest take on each:
This Linen Camp Shirt might be my favorite summer shirt. It’s lightweight but not flimsy, cut with just enough room to feel relaxed without looking sloppy. The linen blend breathes beautifully, and the Coffee Bean color and indigo embroidered flowers have a subtle richness to them that makes it feel a little elevated, even if you’re just wearing it to loiter at a café for three hours (which I have). It layers well, but honestly, it’s perfect on its own, buttoned low and a little rumpled.
A plain white tee is deceptively hard to get right. I’ve worked with several brands that have spent years developing them and are still refining the fit and feel. This one excels on both fronts: soft but not too delicate, relaxed but not blousy. You get a feel for the superior quality of Egyptian cotton from the jump—silken is probably how I’d best describe it, and substantial enough to wear on its own. I've already washed it a few times and it’s holding its shape (and softness) perfectly. This is the kind of tee you’ll end up doing the laundry a day early for just to be able to wear it again.
I'm extremely picky about shorts, and these hit the sweet spot. They're 100% linen, so they're naturally breathable, but what I really love is the grain of the fabric. It feels lived-in without feeling fragile or frumpy. The elastic waistband keeps them comfortable without veering too far into gym-short territory. I wore them with a sweatshirt last week to a late lunch that became a late dinner, and they still felt breezy at the end of the day. I might just grab a second pair in the natural color for peak summer.
Wide-leg denim can be tricky, but I think this pair gets it right. The cut is curved just enough to give the leg some shape without feeling bulky. At 12 oz, they’re heavier than your average linen pants, but still on the lighter end for denim, certainly light enough for summer nights. They’ve broken in nicely after a few wears, softening without losing their structure. If you prefer your denim with a little volume but still want it to be easy to move in, these are the ones.
You can check out all my picks here, and if you feel like leaning into some nothingness yourself, use THEBENGALSTRIPE15 for 15% off.
It’s rare that a collection feels this personal, and even rarer when it comes from a brand you actually feel good supporting. This one does both.
Here’s to a season of slow days, good people, and plenty of beautiful, glorious nothingness.
You wear it all really well!
Sunglasses are fire, do you mind sharing where you got them from?