The scene at Man/Woman was noticeably more subdued that at Welcome Edition. With fewer brand activations, the energy was a considerably less scene-y. Situated in a large, sun-drenched warehouse on Varick Street near the Holland Tunnel, I got the feeling that everyone there was itching for five o’clock to roll around and hit up the afterparties.
When I showed up, the crowd had thinned out and the 7,000 square-foot-space was looking pretty sparse; I had a lot of time to chat with the brand reps and met several design directors. I, myself, was already feeling a little fatigued, so the vibe shift was a welcome one. I got to be a little more leisurely as I perused what was on offer.
Wythe
What you know them for: lux western-wear for aesthetes who enjoy Ralph Lauren Americana cosplay and cowboy boots
What’s coming: the most beautiful, supple leather chaps and pants; streamlined Western shirts without leather fringes and frills; very heavy twill chore jackets; half-zip pullovers; peace patch embroidered shirts for the desk-bound leftists; naturalistic tie-dye; thick-gauge, pastel-hued camp socks; hippy-dippy t-shirts for those who never experienced Woodstock or Monterey Pop
Brand Notes: To me, Wythe is RRL meets Ralph Lauren Purple Label. $2000 leather chaps – why not? $600 Alpaca cardigan – sure.
Even for the pieces that don’t reach that upper echelon of pricing, the brand’s fastidious commitment to luxury detailing applied to classic western-wear is the ultimate in high-low mash-ups, like adding caviar on fries. Wythe is for persons who conflate Marfa with West Texas. It’s not that Marfa isn’t in West Texas, it’s just that’s it’s not really West Texas, either.
Wythe is the progressive next step for someone who loves Bode, but wants something a little more rugged; less quilts and lace, more rivets and gussets. There’s a lot of je ne sais quoi detailing to gush over: the cowhide patch belt loop, the custom carved wooden buttons, and sumptuous leather which all pay collective homage to a lost Americana.
Somehow, the only thing that left me wanting was the lack of music. I wanted to hear New Riders of the Purple Sage’s Lonesome L.A. Cowboy blaring as I browsed the collection of roper boots, snap-button pearl shirts, and gabardine textiles.
One of their subtler pieces – which could be incorporated into any wardrobe, regardless of one’s nostalgia for middle America aesthetics – is their half-zip popover, which would look equally at home at a backyard cookout, a trip to the beach, or your favorite neighborhood bar.
Some will swoon and others balk, but Wythe knows its niche. We need more brands, like Wythe, that fully commit to the bit. In addition to knowing their stuff, the folks behind Wythe are kind and welcoming; they’ll take you under their fringed wing to explain all the thought that went into replicating the forgotten details of the American vernacular from the south. You’ll feel right at home, even if you’ve never stepped foot on a ranch.
Corridor
What you know them for: trippy, multi-colored knits that would look great under the influence of LSD; scores of camp shirts in beautiful fabrics
What’s coming: more fun knitwear, stitched chore jackets and short-sleeve button-ups; aloha shirts; lots of cardigans
Brand Notes: Corridor had one of the most stacked collections of anyone at Man/Woman, over eight racks of clothing. Dan Snyder, the brand’s creative director, says they explore connections between clothing and spirituality. I’m not really sure what this means, but I can tell you that a lot of their multi-colored knits would look great under the influence of psychedelics.
Corridor feels like the brand for a grown-up dead head who loved to frequent head shops as a teenager and felt most comfortable in tie-dyed shirts bought in the Haight Ashbury. Perhaps I’m being a little reductive, but that’s the vibe of the more out-there pieces.
Speaking for myself, I was a big fan of their stitched short-sleeve button-ups. I also fell for their crocheted knits, which hit just right without feeling too grandma, and their more modern reinterpretation of the Aloha shirt.
Japan Blue Group | Momotaro & Japan Blue
What you know them for: Momotaro: the iconic Samurai stripe-branded Japanese purveyor of slubby, Zimbabwe cotton denim; Japan Blue: affordable, raw denim without the bells and whistles
What’s coming: Momotaro: a totally revamped branding and logo that aims to modernize iconic pieces from the days of the Raw Denim craze; Japan Blue: sakura and washed indigo t-shirts
Brand Notes: I’m choosing to cover Momotaro and Japan Blue together, since they both form part of the Japan Blue Group umbrella.
Hot on the heels of a new rebrand, Momotaro is relaunching their core line with new all the new fixings for a broader international audience. Gone are the battle stripes that were once the label’s trademark (don’t worry, you can still request the battle stripes if you’re so inclined); so is the iconic image of the boy being born from a peach, which has been simplified to a rounded star design.
Instead, you’ll now find an abstracted mark that is intentionally reminiscent of a mon (?), the Japanese emblem used “to decorate and identify an individual, a family, or (more recently) an institution.” This appears to be part of a play to widen the appeal of their legendary 15.7 oz middle-weight denim to non-denim heads.
For longtime fans of the brand, you won’t notice too much that’s new, just different. Having said that, they are releasing a Sakura-dyed Canadian tuxedo that feels appropriately celebratory of the new look and feel of a brand entering a new stage in its lifecycle.
Meanwhile their sister brand, Japan Blue has debuted two new t-shirts in sakura-dye and washed indigo.
Livid
What you know them for: washed, Stockholm-style denim
What’s coming: more jeans; a new Transparency Initiative
Brand Notes: Sourcing textiles from premium mills in Japan and Europe, Livid cuts silhouettes fit for the more melancholy among us who enjoy indulging in the pathetic fallacy of an overcast day. There’s a distinct Stockholm-edge that recalls early Acne for a brand based in Trondheim, Norway.
While my forecast may be cloudy with a chance of rain, the brand’s Transparency Initiative is anything but opaque. The initiative is the first of its kind in the region to offer a full, unvarnished look at their value chain. (They’re currently working on an online portal that will this experience more user-friendly; but, in the interim, questions can be directed to their help line [email protected].)
As far as their denim goes, their mid-weight 13oz. jeans have a lovely stonewashed feel, reminiscent of vintage Levi’s. They offer slim, straight, wide, and blousy fits suitable for all silhouettes. Most of their textiles are sourced from Kuroki mills and finished in Portugal.
I was a fan of their Japan black, which is so dark it recalled the deep rich hue of Kyoto black kimonos. They also offer a free first repair on all of their jeans.
Easy Moc
What you know them for: made-in-the-USA New England boat shoes and camp mocs
What’s coming: cowhide boat shoes; a sneaker-boatshoe cross-over, backless slip-on Mocs; Native American-influenced textile colorways
Brand Notes: Boat shoes are having a moment. Everyone from Vogue to GQ seems to be hawking their timeless appeal. That perspective is wasted on Gregory Cordeiro, whose team of New England craftsman have been making small-batch handsewn mocs for over a decade out of a small factory in Lewiston, Maine.
If you like Sperry Topsiders and Bass Weejuns, you’re a natural fit for Easy Moc, who injects a much needed dose of newness into Camp Moc’s storied silhouette.
If you’re more likely to find yourself at a desk than at the docks, they have a new shoe that combines that feel of a sneaker with the look of a boat shoe.
Alternatively, if you enjoyed my coverage of Wythe, with whom they distribute, don’t miss their new cowhide colorways, which are sure to get compliments whether you’re North, South, East, or West. They’ve also got some great beach towel/Native American-influenced woven styles in the queue that will look great on sandy shores.
Bather
What you know them for: well-made Canadian surfer trunks
What’s coming: pool-appropriate striped shirts; new funky patterned trunks and three iridescent colorways
Brand Notes: This Made in Canada swimwear brand is reviving the old-school loose trunks long-favored by surfers. The bathing suit’s shell is made of a quick-dry recycled polyester, while the lining is a proprietary mesh designed to keep your jewels chafe-free.
With a 5.5” inseam, they’re neither James Bond short, nor Quicksilver long. They’ve got a lot of fun colorways and playful patterns to chose from, including a new line of iridescent colors that seem ripped from an abalone’s shell.
Bather has also been slowly expanding into beachwear adjacent categories. I particularly loved their new line of textured-stripe shirts, which will work well as beach-to-cabana transitional attire.
Monostereo
What’s their vibe: California mushroom forager meets Tolkein enthusiast; fashion-forward fits for people who don’t like wearing shoes
What caught my eye: Berkley-inspired boro; flower power army green chore coats; outerwear with intricate beaded trim
Brand Notes: Monostereo is a very young brand that only has four seasons (read two years) under their belt. However, I’d say that they’re punching well above their weight-class. I saw several brands that were leaning a neo-hippy-revival direction, which tracks given the state of national and international politics these days, but rather than dip their toe in the water, Monostereo seems to have committed full tilt.
The brainchild of Alex Seastrom (co-founder of Mowgli Surf) and Colby Black (a former Urban Outfitters executive), there is a pronounced strain of weird utopianism circa 1960s that runs through the core of the brand’s DNA. I was half expecting the rep to start talking my ear off about Paul Stamets or the geodesic domes of Buckminster Fuller instead geeking out with me over thread counts.
Like Wythe, this brand’s target audience is quite specific; that one friend who has a seemingly baffling array of skills and interests not limited to: pickling, composting, cooking, mushroom foraging, grass-roots activism, painting, thrifting, tattooing, barefoot running, gardening, sewing, Dungeons & Dragons, and fashion (at this point I think I’m just describing my friend Bryson, who I think would go crazy for Monostereo).
Despite the specificity of their vibe, the craftsmanship on display can be appreciated by all. Their boro denim adds a Berkley-twist to the Japanese tradition, while custom-made, heavy-metal flower buttons spruce up an army green chore jacket. They also have some really nice beaded-lace work along the trim of their outerwear pieces that I could not stop admiring.
Dehen 1920
What’s their vibe: Filson before there was Filson, hundred-year-old heritage Oregonian menswear
What caught my eye: heavy duty t-shirts and crewnecks, crissman overshirts, quality knits, rust camo vests
Brand Notes: We’ve covered this before, but it bears repeating: Dehen 1920 makes really good clothes; specifically, heritage-inspired, Made-In-America basics. Stumbling across their booth, I felt a little like Agent Cooper from Twin Peaks when he first walked into the RR diner, ordered a black coffee and cherry pie, before exclaiming, “This is, excuse me, a damn fine cup of coffee!”
Dehen 1920, which has remained a family business throughout the entirety of their 100 year history, focuses their attention on doing the deceptively “simple” stuff really well. They’re not trying to reinvent the wheel, just make subtle, sensible improvements.
Known for their heavy knits sweaters and 5.6oz cotton t-shirts, the imprint of the Pacific Northwest is noticeable without being exaggerated. This is a brand that doesn’t have to do anything to get your attention because it’s sure of itself.
In terms of what’s on the docket, a rust-colored camo vest made strong impression on me, as well as their new line of chore jackets.
This caps off our Market Week coverage this season. Thank you for joining us, what was your favorite new collection?