EFCI Designs

The elongated title, “Elastic Fantastic Chronosynclastic Infundibulum,” that designer Sumter Pendergrast gave for his contemporary men’s line, EFCI Designs, sounds cerebral. But like the graphics in his line, the lengthy name is intended to be taken lightly.

Chrono-synclastic infundibulum was taken from author Kurt Vonnegut’s novel The Sirens of Titan. The definition, described by Pendergrast, is “the place where all truths come together to form one truth.”

“I think the name [EFCI] is really kind of not contrived to say anything other than it was a goofy kind of name,” said Pendergrast, an Atlanta native who moved to California 10 years ago.

Pendergrast started printing EFCI on T-shirts as merchandise for his Southern rock band of the same name. Soon thereafter, he launched his T-shirt line when he started screen-printing original art in lieu of the band name.

For Fall, EFCI expanded its offerings to include blazers, woven tops and cargo pants and twill pants that venture on a “jean theme without using jeans,” Pendergrast said.

Throughout his life, he has traveled around the globe with his family, which spends half the year living in France.

Pendergrast’s tailored European influence—credited to British label Paul Smith and Italian label Etro—is seen in a woven canvas blazer in royal purple, trousers with a motorcycle- riding, pant-inspired pattern and a woven shirt with tailored darts, all done up with graphic prints and distressed holes for a California-casual vibe.

The overall theme for the collection was “Oscar Wilde meets Japanese biker,” which encompasses finery and a rugged utilitarian style.

“Everything has to be jean friendly,” said Pendergrast, who added that specialty boutiques in Europe are looking to California-based clothing lines for the casual denim look. “I think that’s going to change, but for now that’s what sells.”

Pendergrast said he eventually is planning to develop a higher-end line of suiting.

His T-shirts are designed to resemble authentic thrift-store finds and cover a range of graphic themes—from the company’s logo of a lion head to blueprint-style drawings of science fiction–inspired underwater transportation inventions to an Asianthemed cobra snake.

Though it’s the graphics that first catch the eye, Rory Scerri-Marion, EFCI co-founder, said he and his partner spent more time perfecting the feel and fit of the T-shirt. Colors for the T-shirts match the vintage graphics in sun-faded tones, with burnout treatment and deeper tones of maroon and heather gray with a retro nubby and pilled finish.

Wholesale price points range from $21 to $75 for tops, including T-shirts and woven long-sleeve button-down shirts; $61 to $79 for pants; $85 to $150 for blazers; and $250 to 350 for specialty items such as wool pea coats. Villains Vault in San Francisco and M.Fredric in Los Angeles have bought EFCI Designs.

For more information, visit www.efcidesigns.com or call (707) 318-6073. —Rhea Cortado