The Four Pins 2014 Worst New Menswear Designers In America

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Complex Original

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We're pleased to announce the first ever Four Pins Worst New Menswear Designers in America nominations, given to the designers across the nation that have proven their unique abilities to craft terrible, ill-fitting and morally questionable garments for a generation of men that don't give even a single fuck about their wardrobe. This year's crop of designers are so promisingly bad that they reach beyond the borders of America all the way to London in the form of one Brandon Sales (although the Internet is where he truly calls home).

Other names in the mix include Sendhil Chaudury, the revolutionary name behind Bushwick Bespoke Tailoring & Sons (and Daughters), purveyor of the world's first printable pocket squares. In the past few seasons, he's branched out into fine, handmade tailoring and cultivated an almost cult-like following of people desperate for his unique perspective on the casual suit. Then there's Jefferson Smith and Braxton Bullock of Mason & Dixon, who pay homage to their Confederate roots with rugged Americana that evokes a clear sense of pride and ownership. The underdog here, if there is one, is Chad "The Hammer" Morris, whose label of tees and tanks has catapulted him to the forefront of Jersey Shore bro club life and beach culture.

As part of their nomination, each of these designers will be given the illustrious opportunity to design a capsule collection for legendary retailer Jos. A. Bank and a $5 giftcard to Men's Wearhouse. In true Jos. A. Bank fashion, buying just one of the pieces nets you the entire collaboration for free. Finally, people everywhere will have the opportunity to own a piece of design genius without the hefty price tag. Ahead, meet the men behind the brands and see why they truly deserve this prestigious honor.

1. FOURPINSWORSTDESIGNERLEAD

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2. atlantictity

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Atlantic Titty Surf Co.


"For Bros Who Like To Get Wet"

Seaside Heights, NJ (Est. Summer of 2013, when Chad turned 21)

Designer: Chad "The Hammer" Morris, but also any of his bros who have, like, sick ideas.

Inspiration: Chad Morris is the first to admit that designing a clothing line was never really in the cards, "Because you know, clothes are, like, pretty fucking gay, bro." Originally garnering the attention of the fashion community with his Monmouth College 2013 Beer Pong Tournament "YOLO" T-shirts and "Sun’s Out, Guns (And Buns) Out 2k12" tanks, Chad quickly discovered he had a knack for creating the kind of easygoing gear dudes wanted to chillax and blow some trees in. Then, after turning 21 last summer, he had a chance encounter that would changed everything: "I was partying down in Sleazeside with all my dawgs like we do every summer, straight fucking killing it, but no one was fucking killing it as hard as my homie B-Rad's cousin, this surfer dude who was rolling with us for the first time."

According to Chad, witnessing the surfer lifestyle up close was the epiphany he had been searching for: "I never saw a dude crush so many hoes and fuck so many fat ass fucking titties in my entire life, bro. I knew right then and there that surfing was fucking legendary—the sport of the fucking gods, bro. I started my line of T-shirts the next fucking day, bro."

Today, Atlantic Titty Surf Co. is blowing up amongst the Jersey shore set, with stockists up and down the boardwalk. "My boy Shady Dave is the manager of this one shop that's mad famous for selling the fucking most hilarious tees, bro. They had this one sick tee that said like, 'I’m With This Slut' on it and an arrow that would, like, point to a slut standing next to you or, like, one of your bros as a joke. Shit was such a fucking epic win, bro." While still in its infancy, and thus far only outfitting guys with a wide variety of offensive T-shirts, Chad envisions Atlantic Titty Surf Co. expanding into women's: "Yeah, bro, I definitely want to make clothes for bitches too, bro. Like, they would be pretty fucking hot, but not, like, for guttersnipes, ya know, bro?" Come on in, the water's fine! And there's definitely not any GHB in it or anything.

3. masonanddixon

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Mason & Dixon


"A Testament to the Good Old Days of Americana"

Charleston, S.C. (Est. 1999; Institutionalized from birth)

Designers: Jefferson Smith and Braxton Bullock

Inspiration: Designers Jefferson Smith and Braxton Bullock have never strayed too far from their South Carolina hometown, but all the inspiration they've ever needed for their Mason & Dixon clothing line has been gleaned from the city's rich history. "Charleston was a key city for the South in the Civil War, and South Carolina was actually the first state to secede from the Union," said Smith. Mason & Dixon is an Americana-inspired line that produces tailored menswear with a distinctly Southern flair. Think heavy woolen peacoats, straight-cut selvedge khaki chinos, flannels with room to move and more button down oxford shirts than you could ever imagine, all of which is so American that there is a big eagle embroidered on the tag.

"To me, construction is the most important part about what we do. And to be honest, American

clothes weren't quite the same after Reconstruction," said Smith.

M&D's clothes generally stay within a rigid color scheme of dark charcoal to lighter grays. "We've never made anything in navy—blue's not really our color," said co-founder Bullock, who's turned the former plantation his family’s owned for generations into a small-scale clothing factory, even growing most of the cotton used in production. "I’ve got a good team of workers who don't mind putting in the long hours needed to make our quality pieces. I spend a lot of my time overseeing every little thing from my porch with a tasty lemonade. I guess I can be a real slave driver," Bullock added, laughing to himself.

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Bushwick Bespoke Tailoring & Sons (and Daughters)


"The Savile Row of E-mail"

Bushwick, NY (Est. 1896 in spirit; 2013 in reality)

Designer: Sendhil Chaudhury

Inspiration: "Ralph Lauren started with ties, so I figured, why not try pocket squares?" posits Sendhil Chaudhury, a recent MIT grad who made the jump from industrial design to fashion. "3D printers are all the rage now, but I thought maybe we could still eke out some usability from current technology." Chaudhury's first breakthrough was printable pocket squares—intricate patterns with simple demarcations that transformed simple pieces of paper into beautiful menswear accessories. Soon, Chaudhury took to Kickstarter for his bigger vision: printable bow ties, delivered straight to your Inbox.

"To really bring my dream to fruition, I knew I had to come to Brooklyn and experience its unique creative energy for myself," he said. So Chaudhury hopped on the L train and set up shop off Morgan Ave., where he established a studio in the back room of a Korean dry cleaner. "At its heart, Bushwick Bespoke Tailoring & Sons (and Daughters) is about melding the old-school craft of menswear with the modern world, and bringing style to the guys (and girls) who appreciate the genuine dapperness of the bow tie." To that end, the young designer has begun a program where he's gluing trousers and jackets together using leftover fabric swatches, creating a new, sustainable take on the casual suit. Although Chaudhury knows absolutely nothing about how to make actual clothes, who can argue with the 25 million dollar funding he got on Kickstarter?

5. luxuryexcellence

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#Luxury#Excellence#


"Very Angelic and Futuristic Swag"

London, The Internet (Est. Literally 5 minutes ago)

Designer:Brandon Sales

Inspiration:The dawn of the Internet not only birthed a cultural and social revolution, but Brandon Sales himself, immaculately conceived via the Hypebeast comments section and the first Pyrex Vision video lookbook. A master curator of the latest fuccboi jawns, from visvim FBTs to Pharrell's mountain hats, Brandon's look has been described by critics as “lol just wow wut even is this fuckshit bruh?"

But this adversity hasn’t stopped BSales Tha Gawd (as he prefers to be called) from turning his dad's money into a flimsy reality. As for his newly minted line #Luxury#Excellence#, Brandon describes the collection as a "movement for the youth." By befriending the likes of Been Trill’s Virgil Abloh and Heron Preston, who he met one time at a party he was not invited too, and his unbreakable bond with Internet muse "Dutty" Ian Connor, BSales has forged his rightful place in Internet history. It's true that no one, ourselves included, has ever seen even a single piece from the #Luxury#Excellence# label, but with such genius at play, why would we need to?

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