Menswear brands shaping the future
Brands on my radar right now, and is there a level beyond Auralee or Evan Kinori?
Menswear discussion online is pretty locked in; brands like Auralee, MAN-TLE, Evan Kinori, and so on, are at the top of the list of the best brands you should be buying right now, or at least that’s what the tastemakers are telling us.
While I believe those brands deserve their flowers because they’re making great clothes, I find myself feeling bored because at times it seems like those are the only brands everyone is talking about.
When you submerge yourself into the world of menswear, especially online, you can’t help but feel jaded by clothes sometimes. While I enjoy the top brands everyone else is obsessed with, there are others on my radar that are sparking a different level of joy that has me excited about the future of menswear.
In today’s letter I wanted to share the brands that are making noise in my world. These are the brands, large or small, that fit a current aesthetic of design that I’m currently drawn to at the moment. These brands are redefining what it means to source fabric and how you apply that to everyday design.
The world of colorful clothing is expanding, and it’s all thanks to Auralee. Their influence is undeniable, and brands all across the board are taking notes by expanding their own color palette for future collections.
I’ve noticed Auralee’s effects even in my own wardrobe. Just a simple scroll through one of their many amazing collections, and you’re left with endless color combinations you didn’t think were possible — ssstein is also another brand that has that same insporation for me.
Expanding the colors I wear has made getting dressed not only more fun but easier as well, and because of this new obsession, I find myself more interested in brands that are putting out more colorful clothing.
LII
New York-based LII has only been around since 2023 but has already made a splash by being one of the finalists for the LVMH Prize in 2026. Stockists are going to be pretty low because they are new, but you can explore some of the past season items from LII at SSENSE here.
I think their bold use of primary colors are pretty on point when it comes what’s happening in fashion right now. Their SS27 collection preview just landed on their site, which is probably my favorite of theirs yet.
It’s simple, but I do like they way it was styled, which represents how I’ve been dressing myself recently. We’re not reinventing the silhouettes, but rather expanding our world with the use of color, and that’s what captivates me about the brand.
UNKRUID
What seperates a good brand from a really good one? A lot of things really, but the main one is fabric development. Belgium-based brand Unkruid takes fabrics to a whole different level; whether it’s cotton-linen denim made by a self-taught weaver that creates fabrics with too many characteristics to name in Eastern France, or ramie-cotton blends that yield beautiful soft colors in a pre-wrinkled finish that feels lived in.
I’m not going to lie, the price of their clothes isn’t exactly accessible to the average person, but the prices do reflect the work they put in, so I think it completely makes sense to me. This level of development, craftsmanship, or the use of specific machinery that’s only available in certain corners of the world costs a lot of money, and it’s only going up
At this level it’s more than just clothes, you’re sort of buying into art.
I’ve seen the products firsthand, and although I haven’t been able to pull the trigger on a piece just yet, that time is coming very soon. This is my end game though. Once I start wearing Unkruid there’s no turning back.
I will say to check out their headwear, which is probably the best way for you to experience the brand without having to ball out.
Follow Unkruid on Instagram here. Ven Space carries the brand in New York and Neighbour in Vancouver if you’re around. Highly recommend seeing the clothes in person because the photos only tell half the story.
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POLYPLOID
I recently spoke about Polyploid in a Paris Fashion Week recap letter about their amazing showroom and the even better clothing for SS27. I’ve heard about the brand but only got to really experience it when I saw it on a trip to Japan last year — shout out Jesper of Hender Scheme for really introducing me to the brand. I’ve been obsessed with it ever since.
Fabrics and the cuts go crazy, but what I love is how the brand is split into 3 different categories. I can try to explain it myself, but Polyploid does it the best themselves:
The collection presents a series of patterns which are multiplied into three different categories: A ,B and C. Each silhouette showcases three selected fabrics: A, B and C. In the category A, all shapes are realized in white calico - a fabric that represents the foundation of tailoring. It simplifies the product to its most basic expression. In categories B and C, different materials are used, which convert the basic form of A into new concepts, functionalities and feelings. Each pattern is reproduced in six colours. In A, one color, off white. In B, two colours, and in C, three colours.
It’s a cool approach that I haven’t seen other brands do, and that makes the collections that much more special to me.
Follow Polyploid here.
Shop the brand on their site here.
CONKERS
By now it’s clear that I’m really obsessed with high-quality fabrics that require a lot of effort to develop. It’s one of those things that once you touch them and truly understand them, you can’t stop thinking about them. Think about having a really good meal followed by something more mediocre right after, it’s just not going to hit the same, and clothing is exactly the same.
Conkers is a London-based menswear brand that started in 2021 with the goal to create garments that stay with you for life by utilizing high-quality natural textiles — very much on theme with the rest of the brands that we looked at today.
But Conkers stays in their own lane by creating garments that stand apart from anything we mentioned today, and that’s what’s cool. There’s a whole world of how fabrics are made and used to be creative through the final designs, and that’s really exciting.
Conkers has a pretty large stockist list, allowing for an easy in-person exploration wherever you may be. Brands of this level should be required, by law, to be only experience in the real world. Me talking about it to you through a screen can only do so much.
Their range of clothes is great, but I’m definitely a sucker for their Irish-linen products that seem to sell out rather quickly.
Follow Conkers on Instagram here.
NICENESS
If you’re a menswear enthusiast then you should be well aware of the Japanese-based brand Niceness. The brand has been making waves through its amazing line of shirts, and overall quality of products. The cuts are much more relaxed, and where they stand out is across the various details that are hidden with the individual items.
Feels like this one is less IYKYK because they’re getting the recognition they deserve, and I think that’s totally fine.
Sadly, I was unable to make it to their showroom for Men’s Fashion Week, and I regret it deeply. Next time, though! Either way, their AW26 collection just hit their website here that I recommend you check out.
They are pretty wildly available at places like Beams America, and Lost and Found also.
This is obviously the tip of the iceberg from what has me excited about menswear right now — shout out Camiel Fortgens, Taiga Takahashi — but I think it’s important to keep pushing the narrative forward by highlighting great work from other brands that are simply that haven’t hit the mainstream media yet.