The 20 Menswear Brands That Truly, Actually Matter

Image via Complex Original

Levi's

We don’t know about you all, but it’s hard to imagine a world without jeans. Over 100 years later, Levi’s is still the brand that comes to mind when one thinks of denim. mainstream of otherwise. Their 501 is one of the more important garments ever created. In the more high-end world, Levi's has made its mark in the form of LVC, referencing its storied past and re-purposing it for a modern generation of denim-obsessed, quality-driven consumers.

Maison Martin Margiela

In an age where designers of the world's biggest fashion brands have Instagram accounts with hundreds of thousands of followers and do interviews with every single struggle blog on the planet, Maison Martin Margiela is the rare brand that prefers to remain anonymous. To this day, we have no fucking idea who even really designs the shit. While it's true that Martin himself is no longer with the label, his legacy of letting the clothes speak for themselves remains wildly refreshing in an era of perpetual oversharing.

Saint Laurent Paris

Say what you will about their pricing or Hedi Slimane's constant appropriation of Rock 'n' Roll culture, but the already iconic label has proved those who moaned at their re-branding were straight up foolish. In 2014, SLP is simply the pinnacle of cool, high-end designer clothing.

Brooks Brothers

From the President of this great nation to your average banker bro, Brooks Brothers is America's suiting brand. They even have an ongoing collaboration with another important designer, Thom Browne, keeping their #relevance on point for the fashionista set. Sure, you won't catch any of us dead in a Brooks Brothers suit (unless it is, in fact, Black Fleece, or maybe even a collabortaion with Supreme), but for so many guys, there is no other option.

Vans

Aside from maybe Converse (who sadly didn't make this list), there's no other brand in the world who puts out consistently solid footwear at such a accessible pricepoint. Vans Authentics, Eras, Old Skools and Sk-8 Hi's will always and forever be stylish options, and none of them cost over $100. In an era where sneaker prices have ballooned, even on a mass market, Vans continues to give men everywhere an affordable option. Additionally, their shoes helped introduce a generation of guys to skateboarding, indirectly bringing the culture and, subsequently, its inherent style and fashion to the mainstream.

Raf Simons

Where would men's fashion be today without Raf? His vision of what high-fashion could be, relying heavily on graphics and silhouettes, is somewhat the standard today. The crossover between streetwear and high-fashion can largely be credited to Simons. To this day, he continues to push the aesthetic limits of menswear.

Yohji Yamamoto

Yohji Yamamoto is one of the most important designers when it comes to pushing men's fashion silhouettes. His flowy, dark designs have ushered in a generation of men comfortable enough in their own skin to not solely abide by the T-shirt and jeans template. Of course, there's also Y-3, his ongoing collaboration with Adidas, which not only introduced Yohji to a more mass market customer, but was one of the first, and finest, examples of what designer collaborations and fashion-meets-performance apparel could be when executed at an extremely high level.

Patagonia

The fact that the "urban mountaineering" look has come into vogue is merely convenient for Patagonia. They are a brand that is not dictated by trends, simply creating the best products possible in terms of function as it applies to their nature-loving, outdoorsy customer. Their fleece zip-ups and technical jackets have become iconic staples of the male wardrobe without growing boring or hackneyed. Patagonia is also one of the few companies in the world whose dedication to sustainable products isn't merely marketing bullshit.

Nike

Can you even imagine a world without Nike shoes? Yeah, we can't either. Even as Adidas has clawed their way to cultural relevance, they're still light years behind their Beaverton-based counterparts in terms of technology, performance and innovation. And, of course, Nike just puts out better sneakers than anyone. Most importantly, a world without Jordans, Air Maxes or Flyknits would totally fucking suck.

Barbour

If we were ranking the greatest jackets of all time, Barbour's one-two punch of its Bedale and Beaufort models would undoubtedly crack the top 5. There's a reason we've all seen a million videos of their factory and read a billion blog posts on their iconic styles.

Thom Browne

The first thing that comes to mind when mentioning Thom Browne is his signature two-sizes-too-small suit. Browne's influence when it comes to bringing back suiting in general cannot be overstated, but he's also one of the few menswear designers who actually treats his collections as art installations. 99% of the things you see on his runway will not make it to production, but that doesn't make them any less interesting. His Black Fleece collaboration with Brooks Brothers serves up perhaps the most mild-mannered versions of his designs, floating into the wardrobes of average guys who otherwise would be too scared to rock a designer suit. At the end of the day, the suit itself is where so many men begin their #menswear journey and without Thom Browne's bold, cropped take on it to shatter our conception of what clothes should be, there's a good chance #menswear as we know it wouldn't exist at all.

Engineered Garments

Admittedly, a lot of what lands EG on this list is simply due to the face that the clothes are just so fucking awesome. Daiki Suzuki's version of men's clothing is essentially turbo workwear, while his pattern mixing and silhouette choices are fearless. Engineered Garments is probably the best, true #menswear brand in the world right now. Not to mention, many of fashion's biggest, current trends, from Birkenstocks, to long shirts to weird zippers, can be traced right back to the label.

J. Crew

Fashion, streetwear and #menswear are all great, but at the end of the day, they're niche markets. Where J. Crew has flourished is by taking the latest trends and expertly diluting them for a mass audience (that's a compliment, by the way). Without J. Crew, a lot of guys wouldn't even know what Red Wing, Barbour, chambray or selvedge denim are. And then, of course, there's Jenna Lyons, who has become an icon in the womenswear circuit, while also taking the best of the best from the menswear world, in the form of Public School, and introduced them to the much bigger and much more lucrative women's market.

Supreme

Without Supreme, streetwear wouldn't be the same. While it's true that the label owes an insane amount of gratitude to Sean Stussy, Supreme took his vision and evolved it into a brand that is the best in class. Supreme also gave credibility to a design field that was always seen as playing second fiddle to "real fashion," in the process garnering a fan base with near religious devotion.

Uniqlo

Unqilo occupies a space that, maybe, 15 years ago was dominated by the Gap. Today, if you want basics at a unquestionably low price, you don't even think twice about going to Uniqlo. Sure, brands like H&M and Zara dominate the fast-fashion scene, but what makes Uniqlo so important is that they are unwavering. They offer simple, stylish products at a price everyone can afford, and, best of all, their products don't feels disposable like those of its peers. You can buy an entire wardrobe at Uniqlo and be seriously not worry about being stylish for the next year 10 years.

A.P.C.

Aside from the fact that A.P.C.'s New Standard jean has been called "The Gateway Denim" into a life of selvedge addiction, there is perhaps no other brand in menswear today that both doesn't give a single fuck and yet, somehow, obviously gives a fuck. What we mean by that is that their collections are consistently minimalist and not driven by trends. Military and preppy classics always drive their collections and, yet, with their collaborations, they've worked with some of most hyped brands of all time, from Nike to Supreme to Kanye West himself. If there ever were an OG "downtown cool guy" brand, it's A.P.C., and that's why they've endured for over 25 years. It doesn't hurt that their founder, Jean Touitou, is an incredible narcissist, and we never want to imagine a world in which he isn't around to say the most amazingly flagrant and ridiculous shit.

Hood By Air

We don't even like Hood By Air all that much, but their impact today on streetwear and the greater fashion scene is hard to ignore. We now live in a world where $100 graphic T-shirts are not uncommon, and where once-taboo topics like androgyny are at the forefront of the fashion conversation. Shayne Oliver essentially birthed the street goth movement and re-defined today's hot as lava fashion meets streetwear scene, birthing a million wannabes in the process.

Rick Owens

Of course, Hood By Air has Rick Owens to thank for paving the way when it comes to introducing men to things such as drape, drop-crotch and wildly overpriced T-shirts. The Rick Owens aesthetic is instantly recognizable these days, while his fashion shows are some of the most buzzed about season after season. Whatever he's doing, it's working: Rick Owens, the brand, was just valued at $120 million.

Ralph Lauren

Ralph Lauren is, without a doubt, America's greatest contribution to the global world of fashion. Everyone knows the name and almost everyone owns something made by the company in some capacity. Ralph Lauren is perhaps the only label to ever occupy every single pricepoint and product category imaginable, while retaining the utmost credibility.