Photos via Noah, Saint Lauret, Levi's, and Supreme
If we had a nickel for every time we heard someone comment that 2016 was a year straight from the bowels of hell, we’d have enough money to buy something from every one of the fashion brands on this list. Alas, we haven’t figured out how to monetize other people’s complaints on our timeline just yet, but we can take comfort in knowing that the 11 labels here (10, plus one for good luck) gave us something to feel good about during the last 12 crazy months. From Gucci’s luxury victory lap to Supreme’s continued reign as streetwear kings and Noah’s social awareness, these are the names in men’s style that can look back on 2016 and say: “Hey, don’t blame us.”
11. Levi's
Levi’s was founded 163 years ago, and it’s still finding itself on a list of the best brands today. This year, Levi’s kicked things up a notch by collaborating with Off-White, Supreme, Gosha Rubchinskiy, and fashion’s favorite label, Vetements. And if we’re being honest, the American brand simply deserves a spot for consistently making some of the best denim on the market year after year. —Karizza Sanchez
10. Second/Layer
Second/Layer, founded by Anthony Franco and brothers Jacob and Joshua Willis in Los Angeles in 2012, isn’t exactly one of the most hyped labels around—but if you know, you know. And if you know, you wear it. Nominated for the well-regarded International Woolmark Prize this year, the trio makes even the most basic pieces interesting, whether it’s a tee with a ribbed neck, a slightly-cropped sweatshirt, or pinstriped trousers that go perfectly with a broken-in pair of Chucks. The cuts are subtly left of standard, and the detailing is usually minimal, most frequently an embroidered version of the brand’s logo. If there was one men’s brand I could wear everyday, it’d be Second/Layer. And I’m not alone in that regard: The label’s Spring/Summer 2017 presentation during New York Fashion Week: Men’s this summer made use of a few girls to model their latest gear, elevating the entire collection from cult favorite to must-have status. —Karizza Sanchez
9. Noah
Many fashion designers like to make bold statements about social change—just Google Alexander McQueen’s “Highland Rape” collection from 1995 for a legendary, affecting example. Still, there’s something so accessible and appealing about the approach Noah founder Brendon Babenzien is taking with his straightforward social commentary. In August, Babenzien showed his support for the Black Lives Matter movement by releasing a shirt that simply said “Black Lives Matter” on the front, with lyrics from "Break Down the Walls," a song by punk band Youth of Today, on the back. Babenzien then said he would donate all proceeds to BLM. (It sold out.) In July, he offered a full refund to any Trump supporters put off by his political leanings. And just last month, he published on the Noah blog an infographic that clearly laid out a dollar-by-dollar explanation about how ethical production affects the final retail price of one of his preppy parkas. At a time in which we’re all forced to sift through fake news and political smoke and mirrors, a clear-eyed stance—like the one Babenzien is taking with Noah—is more appreciated than ever before. —Steve Dool
8. Prada
Let’s be clear: In the eyes of the most diehard fashion disciples, Prada deserves a spot on every year-end best-of list. Label head Miuccia Prada is one of those visionaries who thinks about the state of the world in real terms and applies it to her designs in an aesthetically appealing way that often eludes other designers with similarly lofty aims. Take, for instance, fall’s Impossible True Love shirt, which found fans in Kanye West, Virgil Abloh, and Pusha T (as worn in his “HGTV” video). The $1,020 silk button-up has, as Mr. Porter’s Sam Lobban told Complex in September, the potential to find a place among the brand’s most iconic archival pieces. It also happens to be a part of a collection inspired by, in the designer’s own words, “immigration, famine, assassination, [and] pessimism.” We’re not sure that’s what Kanye was thinking about when he slipped the shirt on for a night out in Miami with Kim this fall, but it’s a testament to Prada’s genius that she addresses things that matter to her without sacrificing beautiful, wearable designs. Get you a creative director who can do both. —Steve Dool
7. Calvin Klein
Calvin Klein is one of those storied, good ol’ American brands that always ends up in the conversation by virtue of its history—and because its advertising campaigns are carefully crafted to become a topic of conversation. Calvin Klein’s fall campaign this year was particularly effective. It featured 29 faces, ranging from the re-emerging Frank Ocean to iconic supermodel Kate Moss, to buzzy web-age rapper Yung Lean and agender clothing advocate Yung Thug. Trend-influenced touches like oversized graphics and athletic details came through subtly, but it truly was classic Klein, a mix of American nostalgia and hyper-sexualized youth. And now that they’ve grabbed our attention once again, we’re all eagerly awaiting the results of the upcoming Raf Simons revamp. The only thing we do know for sure is that he’ll be combining the men’s and women’s collections in his debut show in New York. —Stephanie Smith-Strickland
6. Gosha Rubchinskiy
Russian designer Gosha Rubchinskiy can count this year as a pivot toward bigger things. I liked the designer’s early collections—which all relied heavily on the appeal of skate influences, ’90s nostalgia, and Soviet kitsch—in the way that I like a Bruno Mars song or a Jason Bateman comedy. I’m into it for a brief moment before the novelty wears off and I look for something with some more depth. But then, at his presentation in June in Florence, part of the Pitti Uomo trade fair, Rubchinskiy showed a collection that included, for the first time, some suiting. As I wrote back then, “Even if one suit was worn with a Fila T-shirt underneath—and even if the double-breasted jackets were all pretty ’90s with their huge lapels—the presence of tailored pieces showed that Gosha has his eye on growing and evolving beyond what has been verified as successful already.” Throw in his unexpected debut cologne and the announcement of his upcoming fashion show in Kaliningrad, Russia, and it’s safe to guess that anyone thinking we knew exactly what to expect from Rubchinskiy—myself included—were wrong. —Steve Dool
5. John Elliott
Since establishing his eponymous brand in 2012, John Elliott has come to be known by a couple of other names: The Sensei of Sweatpants and Overall Overlord of Cozy Basics. Not much has changed in his formula, but that’s exactly what keeps landing him a spot on our “Best Style Brands” list: The idea remains the same, but the execution gets tighter and his vision gets wider. You can still count on him for the perfect hoodie, sweats, and tees that made a side zip as a style must. But as Elliott expanded his catalogue into bomber jackets, jeans, and more expensive items like an $1,800 leather puffer jacket, he’s built a cult-like following that’s spilling into the mainstream, amassing fans like Nike and LeBron James. Earlier this month, Elliott released his first collaboration with Nike, the LeBron Soldier X by John Elliott. It was a certified co-sign that proved that 2016 was a turning point for JE. —Karizza Sanchez
4. Adidas
Historically, Adidas is a sportswear manufacturer. No one will argue that; it is the largest one in Europe and the second largest in the world after Nike. Nevertheless, some will still argue that there is one place the three stripes beats the swoosh all around the world: fashion. Adidas long ago transcended the “sportswear only” label, but this year in particular set the stage for the German behemoth’s apparel business to expand even more. Streetwear, with its athletic influences, has proved to be the new normal across the retail landscape, and Adidas is in line with the current zeitgeist. The Alexander Wang x Adidas Original collaboration flipped traditional iconography on its head (literally) while providing a thoroughly modern and agendered collection that was seamlessly contemporary and sporty. This year also marked a historic partnership between the label and Yeezy collection collaborator Kanye West. Not only was it the most lucrative deal signed between a sportswear company and a non-athlete, it was also estimated to have billion-dollar potential before the ink dried. Add to that the return of the Gazelle, a footwear favorite of ‘90s-era supermodels, and it’s been a pretty good year for Adi. —Stephanie Smith-Strickland
3. Supreme
At the beginning of this trash year who would've guessed an actual IRL clothing brand would release a damn brick and still be the consummate streetwear honcho? Granted, Supreme’s weird building-supply drop was offset by what seemed like a never-ending cycle of collaborations and special releases, paired with some of their best in-house pieces to date. As usual, the collabs can be bucketed into three categories: clothing, art, and "what the fuck." They hooked up with regulars like The North Face, Levi's, Vans, and Timberland for those automatic wins, but went outside the box by partnering with Aquascutum and Sasquatchfabrix. They also managed to introduce one of their cleanest collabs to-date with Stone Island, highlighted by an incredibly lust-worthy heat reactive trench coat.
On the art side, Supreme produced some incredible skateboard decks with Swiss-born artist Usa Fisher, while dropping a small collection giving Dash Snow's greatness a proper New York nod. They dug into Andy Warhol's Polaroid stash to pay homage to the late great Muhammad Ali with a capsule that sent fans climbing over themselves like it was World War Z. And, of course, who would have predicted we would get English indie rock legend Morrissey in a wheat-paste campaign, followed by an ad with not-English-indie-rock-legend Gucci Mane. This is really only a slice of Supreme’s pie, because drop after drop reliably gave us all the shearling, patchwork, rainbow butterfly-backed, and rose-adorned goods our hearts could long for. —Nick Grant
2. Saint Laurent
Saint Laurent began 2016 by settling a lawsuit against the makers of a parody sweatshirt that read “Ain’t Laurent Without Yves.” The slogan referenced the controversial decision to drop founder Yves Saint Laurent’s first name from the label’s official moniker, one part of a divisive rebranding designer Hedi Slimane put in place when he came on board four years ago. In April, Saint Laurent announced Slimane was leaving the label, setting off a series of events that would ensure his departure was just as contentious as his arrival. After he quit and Saint Laurent did not enforce his non-compete agreement, Slimane successfully sued them for $13 million to make them enforce it. The move effectively granted him money to not work, an admittedly genius lifehack and Joanne-level scam. In October, after his successor Anthony Vaccarello brought back the classic Yves Saint Laurent logo in his debut collection, Slimane went on a Twitter rant explaining that he was actually down with the original YSL branding all along, capped off in gotcha!, Johnnie Cochran-esque style with a Twitpic featuring logo-shaped confetti from one of his runway shows as evidence. It was peak fashion world dramz, with little to no real world ramifications, making it simultaneously ridiculous and compelling.
Still, despite all of the backstage infighting, Slimane’s Saint Laurent continued its winning streak. The label threw an insane, celeb-packed show in Los Angeles, gathering everyone from Lady Gaga to Sylvester Stallone. They also released spring’s must-have piece this year, a tropical souvenir jacket worn by Justin Bieber, Kourtney Kardashian, Olivia Wilde, The Rolling Stones’ Keith Richards, Marc Jacobs, and model Alessandra Ambrosio. It sold out completely. While it’s doubtful that Saint Laurent wants Vaccarello to mimic Slimane’s antics, it sure would be nice to replicate some of that heat next year (preferably without any Twitpics). —Steve Dool
1. Gucci
Of every rapper who has ever mentioned Gucci in one of their songs—and as of last year, it was the most-referenced fashion brand in hip-hop history—has anyone gotten it more wrong than Kreayshawn, who famously deemed it the label for basic bitches? Not that anyone at the powerhouse Italian label gives a shit about what a one-viral-hit-wonder from 2011 thinks about their legacy, nor should they. In 2016 alone they proved they have fans in all the right, non-basic places, from cooler-than-cool European starlets to Beyonce, Rae Sremmurd, and ASAP Rocky, who wore the hell out of a Gucci look at the brand’s presentation in London earlier this year. Creative Director Alessandro Michele’s maximalist, “way-more-is-way-more” vision for Gucci has resonated with average customers, too, who are shelling out big bucks for items from the revitalized label; sales are way up. Not even a cringeworthy relationship with Academy Award-winning, human chin-scratch emoji Jared Leto could keep fans away. If that isn’t proof that everything was Gucci in 2016, then I don’t know what is. Now, if only they could move their New York flagship out of Trump Tower. —Steve Dool