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The Best Menswear Made in America

The Best Menswear Made in America

In our never-ending quest to reinvent American menswear, we’ve spent countless hours researching, purchasing and wearing the best garments made in this great country.

While many American clothing brands have shifted production to overseas markets where they can pay lower wages, a number of heritage brands have stayed committed to employing American craftsmen. This allows companies to oversee quality control on every unit produced, retain skilled workers by creating a community environment around their brand, and provide an opportunity for their employees to attain the ever-fleeting American dream.

At the end of the day, whether you care about the American worker or not, the real lesson here is that you simply cannot replicate the quality and craftsmanship that comes with more than 100 years of research, development and heritage behind it. We’re talking generations of blood, sweat and tears. This expertise becomes evident when you invest in a classic American garment – it not only lasts the test of time, it actually gets better with age (ultimately saving you time and money in the long run). That is exactly why we tapped into America’s oldest tailoring factory to produce our tailored garments – to combine our knowledge and insight into the online market with their decades of experience producing timeless American tailoring.

As my favorite basketball coach used to tell me: there is simply no replacement for practice and experience. Greatness takes time – along with a undying willingness to improve every day, every season, and every year.

With that said, here are some of our favorite American-made pieces that the team and I have collected over the years and kept in steady rotation.

 

SCHOTT "Perfecto" Suede Jacket

Made in: New Jersey

Originally Purchased: 2014

Heritage of the brand:

“The sons of a Russian immigrant, Irving and Jack Schott started making raincoats in a basement on the Lower East Side of Manhattan which were then sold by street peddlers door to door. Irving Schott’s leather jackets were lovingly branded with the name of his favorite cigar – the Perfecto. By the mid-twenties, Schott NYC was revolutionizing the way Americans dressed for the outdoors when they were the first to put a zipper on a jacket. Eager to innovate, it was no surprise that Irving Schott then set his sights on another American classic in the making – the motorcycle. In 1928, Irving Schott designed and produced the first leather motorcycle jacket. Retailing for $5.50 at a Long Island Harley Davidson distributor, the Perfecto was durable, rugged, and immediately embraced. To this new generation of “bikers,” the Perfecto was a symbol of the excitement, adventure and danger that fueled their fascination with motorcycles.” – Schott.com

 

STETSON Fur Felt Fedora

Made in: Texas

Originally Purchased: 2011

Heritage of the brand:

“In 1870, less than a year after making his first ‘Boss of the Plains;, John B. Stetson purchases a building on the northern outskirts of Philadelphia, establishing what would become the largest hat factory in America. Stetson builds his legacy as a business innovator, steward of a company as concerned for the welfare of its employees as in its commercial output.” – Stetson.com

 

FILSON Canvas Tote

Made in: Seattle

Originally Purchased: 2009

Heritage of the brand:

“Born in 1850, C. C. Filson inherited his father's pioneer spirit and love of the outdoors. After homesteading in Nebraska and roaming the country as a railroad conductor, he moved to the small city of Seattle, Washington in the 1890s. Filson's timing couldn't have been better. By 1897, the Great Klondike Gold Rush was on, and thousands of fortune hunters were stampeding into Seattle, headed north. Armed with a strong work ethic, a reputation for honesty and several years' experience outfitting Pacific Northwest settlers and prospectors, C. C. Filson was ready to stake his claim to fame." -Filson.com

 

ALDEN Cordovan Loafers

Made in: Massachusetts

Originally Purchased: 2014

Heritage of the brand:

"The Alden Shoe Company was founded in 1884 by Charles H. Alden in Middleborough, Massachusetts. It is difficult to imagine just how active and important the shoe industry was in Massachusetts so long ago. Early New England shoemaking was a trade based upon one craftsman making a pair a day in one room cottages (called "ten footers"). Beginning in 1850 a series of inventions led to mechanized stitching and lasting operations and the birth of New England shoe industry followed rapidly. The productivity gains over the traditional shoemaker were on the order of 500 - 700%, yet the new methods also led to an extraordinary improvement in both quality and consistency. The explosive growth of the shoe industry in eastern Massachusetts at the turn of the century was impressive. Numerous companies were being started, and demand soared as product made its way west and south on newly expanded rail routes." -Aldenshoe.com

 

FRANK CLEGG Leather Goods

Made in: Massachusetts

Originally Purchased: 2012

Heritage of the brand:

"You could call it an obsession—the constant need to understand how objects of innovation are built, as well as the desire to study and achieve excellence that lasts. In 1970, Frank Clegg received a gift that would allow him to create such objects, ones that could be part of daily life, for a lifetime. He had been given a set of leather tools from his girlfriend as a Christmas gift. In time, his girlfriend became his wife, and the toolset became the seed for a brand that has set the benchmark for fine leather bags and accessories for over 40 years. A generation later, Frank Clegg with his two sons, Andrew and Ian, have continued the legacy of what is now known as Frank Clegg Leatherworks. From a restored mill built in historic Fall River, Massachusetts, they and their team of specialized artisans handcraft the finest leather goods in America." -Frankclegg.com

 

WOLVERINE Ass-Kicking Boots

Made in: Michigan

Originally Purchased: 2010

Heritage of the brand:

“G.A. Krause believed in the possibility of opportunity. He dreamed of owning a shoe company an tannery that employed his values and quality craftsmanship and incessant innovation. In 1883, he founded a small company with a handful of employees. By 1901, Krause organized the Rogue River Electric Light and Power Company to bring power to Rockford, Michigan, allowing him and his sons to build and operate a shoe factory. By 1903, they were making 300 pairs of shoes a day. Krause was a true revolutionary, later selling share of the company to its own employees, becoming one of the nation’s first profit sharing plans.” – Wolverine.com

 

The New Guys on the Block

In addition to the classic heritage brands who have spent decades (or centuries) developing an incredible product, American menswear is also full of ingenuity and entrepreneurs taking the methods of old and making them new again. This is most clear in the denim space. There are some great up-and-coming denim companies out there - my favorites are 3x1, ThreeSixteen and Shockoe.  When it comes to new designers, we only consider guys who are absolutely passionate about their product and borderline obsessed with the process of making things to last the test of time. 

As a closing statement: just remember – every time you spend a dollar, on anything, you are supporting the people, practices and values of a brand. Our job is simply to pull back the curtain, your job is to make wise decisions on where to spend your hard-earned cash.

Thanks, as always, for reading.

Yours in style,

Dan Trepanier