Brands everybody likes
according to y'all
I asked YOU which brands you would never buy again, and this is the list of responses. Contrary to the reputation of Uniqlo's Supima tee, and it being the most searched and mentioned t-shirt online, the brand did not get mentioned once - something to think about.
These are in alphabetical order before anyone asks.
Abercrombie & Hollister
“It was a vibe” in the 00s, and according to the comments also AF&H from the 2010s. Returning from my time at a high school in Connecticut with some Abercrombie hoodies and tees immediately upped everyone’s clout. It was years before the company opened its first stores overseas and during the height of Laguna Beach and The Hills.
Arc'teryx
The brand’s reliable use of off-the-shelf outerwear fabrics has had knowledge workers in a chokehold for years.
Ba&sh
Priced and thus positioned as an accessible luxury, the brand is an interesting example of a B-corp-certified fashion brand.
Boggi
Before suitsupply, there was Boggi. The reliable answer to attainable, yet reasonably well-made office attire. While Boggi has strayed a bit further from its core business than Suitsupply, offering a much broader range of casual wear, the value proposition remains the same. Mostly Italian-made, usage of mid-range fabrics, are turned into garments that feature enough distinct features such as cutaway collars and functioning buttonholes to make you look a little more sophisticated than similarly priced department store brands.
Brunello Cucinelli
The most surprising entrant - just kidding. Loro Piana is getting mentioned too. Fun fact, the photo above is from their first boutique in Milan when the cashmere sweaters retailed for €325 - circa 2009 iirc.
Drake’s
Menswear icon Drake’s has nailed the preppy total look product portfolio that’s a step up from Ralph Lauren on the quality front.
Dries Van Noten
This is the most avantgarde brand on this list.
Eleventy Milano
The brand, founded in 2007, has quickly risen to fame by offering traditional Italian menswear that heavily undercuts its peers in price without sacrificing details. Neapolitan style suits for around €1000, cashmere sweaters for €400, and trousers for €200-€300 - that’s how it started. The product offering has grown significantly since then as it is apparently trying to be everything to everyone. The items on its website have since moved upmarket, and the positioning in the US is on par with traditional luxury brands. Yet you can find Eleventy’s products across European boutiques at the aspirational pricing that the brand once started at.
Falconeri
Consumers love it, industry professionals dislike it. All I can say is that despite the influencer marketing and neverending discounts, I have never been particularly impressed by the garments - and the sale pricing is as close to you get what you pay for as anything.
Giorgio Armani
Giorgio Armani, how can you not like the brand ? Yes, the diffusion lines (of which you can find a comprehensive list here) have watered down the “Armani” brand, but the designs remain instantly recognizable and beloved by many.
Hermes
I can see why.
Kiton
Kiton tends to get most often mentioned by men who, let’s be honest, have an infinite number of options in this segment. Their womenswear however often falls by the wayside despite delivering the same handwork and level of quality as the men’s line. Kiton also introduced jewelry to further grow its female clientele.
Levi’s
San Francisco’s oldest and most beloved fashion brand has grown from a gold rush supplier to a good-at-everything behemoth. Whether you want a $30 outlet jeans or a $300 raw edge denim pair, Levi’s has got you covered.
Which Levi’s model is your favorite ?
Loro Piana
Surprise surprise - who could have seen this one coming ? There is very little that you can fault Loro Piana for, even if “the internet” claims that the quality has gone down, there’s very little tangible evidence for this when “the internet” is being asked for it.
Maison Martin Margiela
The lifestyle brand provided the answer to the question “What if Golden Goose weren’t distressed ?” It GAT the answer so quickly with its Replica sneaker, you’d think Maison Martin Margiela came up with it on a Lazy Sunday Morning.
Max Mara
Nili Lotan
Traditional American lifestyle luxury that’s somewhere between sheer organza tops and $500 jeans, sold in coastal cities.
Ralph Lauren Purple Label
Ralph Lauren’s foray into high-end tailoring, made by everyone from Caruso, Corneliani, Belvest and many others over the years. RLPL delivers a largely logo-free, richer and better made interpretation of the Ralph Lauren universe.
Sa Su Phi
I have mentioned this womenswear brand before as a standout in its category.
Orlebar Brown
The swimwear brand that battled it out with Vilebrequin in the late-late 00s and early 10s for the most luxurious resort wear brand has seemingly evolved its offering into something that one would wear for the rest of their life.
Sunspel
The British bastion of t-shirt making.
ESL Supima cotton tee - Women’s Sea Island Cotton tee on sale -
Men’s SIC tee - All men’s tees - All women’s tees
Uniqlo
A great example of how different perceptions led to brands landing on this list. Uniqlo got mentioned just as many times as the brand someone would never wear again as it was mentioned as a “for life” option
Zegna
Now that Zegna is a full-blown lifestyle brand with an offering the size of Loro Piana’s, I can see the vision behind that answer.
Zilli
A less well-known, but nevertheless luxurious competitor of Brunello Cucinelli, Loro Piana, Kiton, Zegna, and others.
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