Acclaimed Photographer Douglas Friedman and French-Swiss Designer Ron Dorff Team Up on New Menswear Capsule

Truly gifted creatives can often take an off-ramp from their usual pursuits and still find great success. In the case of Tom Ford, he had a respite from designing his namesake collection when he directed what is easily one of my Top 10 favorite films of all time, A Single Man. The iconic designer’s voice, known for crafting clothing that was effortlessly (and never terribly overt) sexy and was fit for either a dive bar in the East Village or poolside at Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc, easily translated to the cinematic.

Acclaimed interiors photographer, Douglas Friedman, has done a reverse Major Tom and took a quick break from behind the lens to create a collaborative fashion capsule with menswear designer Ron Dorff.

When retail whisperer Brian Bolke recently shared over cocktails that he’d be the sole Texas purveyor of the small collection, I needed to know more. Friedman is well-known around these parts, given the fact that his home in Marfa has a huge social media following (@thefriedmanranch counts over 12k followers and is actually for sale). He himself has a following close to 200k who stay tuned to like and comment on his posts about every chic new interior or glamorous building that he’s photographed.

And lest I forget, the occasional thirst trap shot like the one of him shirtless on a yacht in the Islas Secas which has too many fire emojis in the comments to count. When we say he is one of the hottest photographers in the world, we mean not only is his time booked by every renowned interior designer and glossy shelter mag, but he also looks like a movie marquee idol (think great grandson of Errol Flynn).

Ron Dorff, the French-Swedish menswear brand which launched in 2012 and is the definition of cool-boy minimalist casual was a line that Friedman gravitated towards. Vanessa Von Bismarck, a mutual friend of the photographer and Claus Lindorff (the founder of Ron Dorff), introduced the two, and voila — a new beachwear capsule is ready just in time for a summer seaside vacation.

Appropriately named Wanted, you can score a piece or two at The Conservatory or one of the four Ron Dorff flagship stores in Paris, London, New York City, and Los Angeles (as well as online at RonDorff.com). I just did – being gifted a pair of the COW-BOY socks and a white Wanted t-shirt, which I bought and plan on wearing with Orlebar Brown swim trunks (excuse me if wearing a shirt designed by a photographer paired with pool apparel known for its photographic prints is too on the nose).

You’ll also find pieces ranging from sleeveless sweatshirts with a ’70s vibe ($180), trunks ($145 to $205), and what one might say is the most manliest of pool coverups — a terry robe ($280). Prints such as “Cow Boy” and “Wanted” were inspired by Friedman’s part-time residence in the high-desert ranchlands of Far West Texas. Hopefully you understand wanted means it’ll likely sell out tout suite, so giddy-up and start shopping. Hoping I bump into him soon so I can have him sign my Wanted tee.

Shop the collection here.