The Best Men's Brands In New York

The phrase “If you can make it here, you can make it anywhere” brings creatives and entrepreneurs pouring into the city of New York. Of these various creatives, quite a few flock to the city to fulfill dreams in the fashion industry. The tenacity and business savvy the environment breeds tends to quickly separate the wheat from the chaff, and it becomes quite clear early on which clothing designers and brands have what it takes to make it, and which do not.

With a garment district (although it’s one that is downsizing), a week on the fashion calendar dedicated solely to men’s fashion, and a bustling sense of community, New York historically sits at the epicenter of American menswear. While other cities have tried and continued to try to unseat it, few can compete with a city which allows designers to arguably be within a few miles of so many of the contacts they will need to succeed in the business.

All that said, the Empire State could do more to help its designers in need. There is some movement on restoring the garment district, but there could be more. And while the Big Apple’s men’s fashion week was supposed to get a heaping dose of relevance from Raf Simons pulling up stakes and showing his namesake collection here, more could be done to stem the mass exodus of New York-based designers who prefer to show in prestigious European cities. Some proactive steps would not only hold New York’s status as the nexus of American menswear, but could also possibly raise its prominence in relation to the other menswear capitals of the world, like Paris and Milan.

Regardless, a handful of New York-based menswear brands will continue to truck on as standard bearers for the city. From streetwear style greats like Helmut Lang to the preppy, tailored designs from Ralph Lauren, here are the best men’s brands in New York.

If the all-encompassing nature of Ralph Lauren’s lifestyle brand wasn't enough evidence of the designer’s clarity of vision, one only has to look at it's alums. A staggering number of the designers behind American menswear’s contemporary brands logged time at what has been called Ralph Lauren University before striking out on their own. Started simply as a necktie line, it's grown into the pinnacle of aspirational lifestyle brand, relevant from Harlem to the Hamptons and beyond.

Though the brand has long been an icon in the industry, its recent revamp at the hand of Chief Creative Officer Raf Simons underscores its importance. Having shaped the artistic eyes of a generation with its provocative advertising, the new CK considers conceptual fashion, while still pulling from the ideas of youth and Americana.

Early on in this designer’s career, Diane Von Furstenberg spotted his talent and offered him a job. As he had already started his own label at the time, the San Francisco-born creative declined the offer, but has gone on to win two CFDA Awards, collaborate with H&M and Adidas, and kept his company 100 percent privately-owned along the way.

When it comes down to paring back design, but leaving pieces with a luxe finish, few can do it better than Theory. Season after season, the label turns out unfussy, timeless essentials, mostly in monochromatic colorways.

Though his trademark suit—with it's shrunken blazer and truncated trousers—may take getting used to, the designer has built one of the most profitable menswear brands in the country. Loaning his talents to the likes of Brooks Brothers and Moncler, Browne has made his name in reimagining items in striking, unexpected ways.

It’s almost impossible to discuss contemporary menswear without streetwear, and you can’t discuss streetwear without Supreme. With a knack for manufacturing cool in small-batch limited run releases, the brand hit a new high when it was ushered into high fashion realm via a Louis Vuitton collaboration. But, it appears to have no plans on slowing down, as evidenced by an impending store launch in Brooklyn.

Also about to undergo a head-to-toe makeover courtesy of a series of designers-in-residence started by Shayne Olivier of the now defunct Hood By Air, this label was the look of choice for the anti-fashion kids of the ‘90s. Androgynous, minimal, and sharply cut, the brand’s archival looks are still holy grails for fashion enthusiasts.

Though founder Brendon Babenzien initially made his name heading up the creative ship at Supreme, Noah quickly cut out a lane for itself after launching. From investing in ethical and environmentally conscious production pathways (which account for the heightened pricing), to pulling inspiration from disparate sources and, notably, releasing an essential logo hoodie, it’s a different outlook on the game entirely.