Buck Mason Jeans: Foregoing the Fashionable for the Timeless

There’s an adage that goes, “Fashion passes; style remains.” The guys over at Buck Mason have taken this lesson to heart. They offer “timeless essentials” such as oxford shirts, v-neck and crew-neck t-shirts, henleys, and as of a couple of weeks ago, raw selvedge denim jeans. All of these pieces form the foundation of what a man wears, and there’s little chance that any of them is going anywhere (even the denim: fear not, raw aficionados).

Rewind a bit: it all began when Erik Schnakenberg and Sasha Koehn decided they wanted to create an American brand centered on simplicity, quality, and affordability. All of their clothing is made in Los Angeles, where the company calls home. While we’ve heard the made-in-America pitch before, we’re used to paying a premium for the privilege of owning fair-made goods from here at home. The founders of Buck Mason decided that they not only wanted to commit to domestic production but also to creating a model of business that went against the traditional 400 to 500% mark-up of the production price.

According to Schnakenberg, “We work the opposite way, asking ourselves ‘How much should people have to pay for a quality pair of jeans? A t-shirt?’ It costs us $35 to make our Horween leather belt that retails for $72, but $72 seemed like a fair price to us. $72 is what I want to pay for that belt, not $150, so that’s what we priced it at. It’s about fairness and offering an honest price without sacrificing quality.” Such transparency is refreshing, and something, thankfully, that we’re seeing more from brands as of late.

Buck Mason store in Venice

All Photo Credits: Josh Franer

Another aspect that sets the brand apart from others is their home try-on packages. While other denim brands offer this, Buck Mason extends it beyond just denim. They set up whole packages of clothes–such as The Bruce, which consists of a white oxford, a white t-shirt, and a pair of their jeans–and you have 5 days to keep what you like and send back what you don’t.

Designed particularly for guys who want to avoid the madness of their local malls, the packages offer the classic pieces in classic colors: blue, black, white, and grey. The guys started online but have since opened a store (seen above) in Venice, California, right off the famous Abbot-Kinney Boulevard. They only carry American-made products from brands such as Red Wing and Crate of California.

Buck Mason denim sideview

Initially, they offered selvedge denim from other brands such Left Field, but as of only a few weeks ago, the brand finally followed through with the goal of producing their own denim. Schnakenberg relates, “We knew we’d do our own denim eventually, we just couldn’t afford it when we launched the company so we started with tees… Everything else we make is really designed to tie back to raw denim.

The design aesthetic of their denim follows the minimalism of their other pieces, with no outward logos or flashy stitching. The jeans utilize 12 Oz. Cone Mills White Oak selvedge, and come in two different fits. As with their other products, they have aimed to offer a piece that follows no fashion trends but sticks to the basics, with form following function. “Timelessness is our only goal,” he says.

See the details and pictures below.

Buck Mason denim deconstructed

 DETAILS

  • Name: Buck Mason Slim Fit and Standard Fit
  • Weight: 12 Oz.
  • Fabric: Sanforized 100% cotton Cone Mills White Oak indigo selvedge denim
  • Fit: Slim: Mid-rise, slim throughout, 14-inch bottom opening Standard: Mid-rise, medium in thigh and tailored at 15 inches from knee down
  • Made in: Los Angeles, CA, USA
  • Unique Features
    • True to size
    • Stamped natural leather patch
  • Available at: Buck Mason for $135.00
Slim and standard side-by-side

Slim (left) and Standard (right)

Buck Mason slim fit

Slim Fit

Buck Mason standard fit

Standard Fit

Buck Mason leather patch