Reviewing Kotn's spring collection
Some thoughts on the art of slowing things down, and the pieces that work well with that approach.
Quick note
This is a paid collection review in partnership with Kotn — and all recommendations are my own :)
Before we get into it—Kotn just dropped their new Spring/Summer collection, and it’s one of the more thoughtful campaigns I’ve seen in a while.
You can check out the full lineup here, and if you see something you like, use my code SPREZZA15 for 15% off in your cart.
The art of doing nothing
Most brands are in the business of telling you to move faster. Do more. Optimize everything. Wake up earlier, work harder, hustle smarter. Even the campaigns meant to look “relaxed” usually just sell you a more stylish version of productivity.
But that’s what makes Kotn’s Spring/Summer campaign so striking. It isn’t just about slowing down. It’s about standing still. No mindfulness apps. No serotonin-scented branding. Just linen, leisure, and the dog days of summer with nothing to report.
The campaign is called Stories of Nothingness from Everywhere, and it leans into a cultural rhythm that most of us in the Western world have forgotten: the value of doing nothing. Not in a luxury retreat way.
In a real, daily, deeply human way.
It draws from Kotn co-founder Rami’s summers in Egypt—those long, sunburnt days where time just stretches. No schedules. No rushing. Just a slow drift between friends, fruit stands, football games, and family hangouts that last three hours longer than planned.
“My summers back home felt full and impactful,” Rami says, “but when I tried to explain them to my western friends, I had nothing to report.
That’s the point
And that’s the power of this campaign. It celebrates the in-between moments that most brands overlook. The casual tension of sitting around. The richness of time when nothing is being extracted from it.
Shot and led entirely by MENA (Middle East, North Africa) creatives, the campaign feels less like a production and more like a memory. It’s slow, dusty, loose.
In a culture that wants you to always be achieving as means to personal contentment, this Kotn campaign shows the opposite. An invitation to live slower, dress lighter, and maybe let a moment linger longer than it needs to.
Now, let’s talk about the actual clothes.
Kotn went heavy on linen this season—and thank god for that. It’s the fabric of summer, and not in the breezy, Instagram-influencer-at-the-villa sense. It wrinkles. It breathes. It moves like it doesn’t owe anyone an apology. Which is exactly the energy this collection is channeling.
There’s an ease to everything: shirts that don’t cling, pants with just the right amount of room, and a few pieces embroidered with these clean, almost meditative designs—quiet gestures you notice only if you’re paying attention. That’s good design. It rewards the observant.
But the real sleeper hit? The long shorts.
And I say that as someone who has long preached the gospel of what I call the Armani Effect: the idea that wearing longer shorts with a shorter or more fitted top instantly creates shape, proportion, and style with zero effort.
Kotn’s version hits that sweet spot—long enough to feel directional, but not costume-y.
More Cairo-on-a-Tuesday than runway cosplay.
They also managed to do that thing most brands can’t pull off: designing a full summer collection that doesn’t rely on trend-chasing. No loud graphics. No novelty prints. Just timeless cuts, tactile fabrics, and tonal color stories that feel lived-in from day one.
It’s the kind of summer wardrobe you can wear barefoot or with loafers. In the city or by the water. To the market or to a lazy lunch that somehow turns into dinner.
In other words: it’s built for doing nothing—and doing it well.
Again, you can check out the full lineup here, and if you see something you like, use my code SPREZZA15 for 15% off in your cart.