If you want to create the perfect wardrobe, but you’re going to have to take some shortcuts along the way, your results won’t be excellent. Investing in brands that are both fashionable and committed to quality is a better way to stock your closet with pieces you want to wear. It seems easy, yet most menswear essentials—even the plain white T-shirt—are more than they appear.
What makes a men’s clothing company great in such a competitive market? It’s simple: The best companies serve a fundamental need by doing one or more things well and going above and beyond in every category. That includes premium fabrics, careful manufacture, and timeless, attractive designs.
Functionality means different things to different brands—the difference between the best tailoring brand and the best gym brand, for instance—but one thing remains constant: Creating a great clothing brand takes additional effort. These brands are essential for menswear beginners. We also include the most remarkable men’s online clothes stores.
Taylor Stitch
Taylor Stitch, located in San Francisco, is a godsend for the man searching for a one-stop shop, stocking everything from durable outerwear to vital, office-ready shirting to well-made basics, denim, and chinos. While the company’s original mission was to create the ideal button-down shirt, it has since expanded to include many other garments.
They accomplish this with a design philosophy that is trendy and contemporary without being flashy; they are clothing that any man can wear and look great in.
Vuori Clothing
A guy needs tried-and-true basics for the office and running errands, but for more strenuous activities and regular workouts, there’s an upgrade worth considering. Vuori’s super-soft tees and tailored joggers will replace your college logo tee and faded gym shorts. Its shorts are among the best for working out and relaxing.
The brand is committed to producing high-quality items that will last, so you can feel good about filling your closet with Vuori clothes for any occasion.
Flint and Tinder
Huckberry, a well-known store in San Francisco and Austin is inspired by the ethos of being prepared for anything at any time of day or night. The company carries and distributes products from various rugged-yet-refined brands, but its own Flint and Tinder line is the best.
The Waxed Trucker Jacket is the most recognizable item from the all-American brand Huckberry. The 365 Pants and Shorts, super-comfortable T-shirts, and henleys nail out the brand’s ethos.
Todd Snyder
If you’re into J crew-esque labels but want to step up your menswear game, you should check out the work of acclaimed American designer Todd Snyder. At WERD, he’s a favorite because of his career with major American brands, including Timex, P.F. Flyers, and Champion.
Snyder has guided his eponymous label to new heights of success, overseeing the creation of such iconic items as the crewneck sweatshirt (in collaboration with Champion), throwback sweater polos, and selvedge denim. These items are a splurge, to be sure, but they are well worth it.
Billy Reid
It takes courage to put your name on a clothing business and even more to back up your aesthetic for traditional, premium, rugged-yet-luxurious menswear. Billy Reid, an Alabama-born designer who creates clothes any guy should want to wear (and gear only he would want), manages to achieve all of those principles.
Billy Reid has the basics (Oxford shirting), the classics (handsome selvedge denim), and a sense of accessible luxury—who knew a denim shirt could feel so silky or that a gray crew neck sweater could be a covetable splurge?
