Best of Menswear 2025 awards
Condensing the best of menswear and personal style into one email.
Okay, we’ve never done an awards email before, but I thought it’d be fun to try out, since this newsletter is bigger than me, and the people who share their opinions alongside me actually have some great ones.
I asked my editors-in-residence, Leon and Mariano, to yap about what they liked/didn’t like this year, and they did not disappoint.
If you like this type of stuff, let me know, and we’ll do it more often!
Leon’s picks
Collab of the year
Levi’s x Barbour, hands down.
Leo Gamboa, who heads up all collaborations at Levi’s and previously did the same at Reebok, picked up where Virgil left off when it comes to smart, culturally fluent brand partnerships.
The guy has a knack for finding legacy labels that do exactly what Levi’s can’t do on its own. Which, I mean, is the whole point of a collaboration, right?
Reimagining a classic Type II in waxed cotton and dropping an oversized Bedale was always going to fly off the virtual shelves—no surprise there.
I managed to snag a few sleeper hits, though, like the 568 jeans (loose-relaxed fit) with a Barbour motif tucked into the bottom hem when you cuff. There’s also the hoodie, which is heavy as hell, Camber-level heft.
The hoodie’s still available, too, if you need something from what might be the year’s best collab.
A hot take
I’ve seen some folks in the menswear circle try to push cropped jeans, and I hope that’s a trend that never happens. Just say no to drugs cropped jeans. It feels like a thoughtless offshoot of the short-lived garden-core moment.
Please save them shits for your grandmother, who will be tending to her peonies come spring in them.
A brand you recently discovered
Heugn is a lesser-known Japanese brand that’s not A.Presse or Yoko Sakamoto. Designed by Masato Koyama, it’s a study in simple clothes with quietly otherworldly styling. Case in point: this and this.
Your best bet? Keep refreshing C’H’C’M, they’re the only retailer carrying it stateside at the moment.
Thoughts on personal style
Apparently, I had a soft spot for Scandinavian shirting this year (who knew?).
From a similar number by Another Aspect, to a very 2005, bank-teller-coded shirt from Jeanerica, to this one from Norse Projects, I couldn’t get enough of these slightly freaky-ahh shirts.
Fellas, denim and outerwear are hard habits to quit once you’ve got tunnel vision, but never underestimate the power of a slightly oversized, a-little-weird shirt to change your whole rotation.
Best product drop
I missed out on the first Colbo x Sperry drop, but that’s okay, because the second one was way better.
The boat shoe felt strictly warm-weather only, while the Captain Oxfords come with a cozy insole and truly unhinged versatility. They work just as well with jeans and a tee as they do with a corduroy suit.
And yes, $350 isn’t cheap, but it feels like the correct answer. Think of them as the working man’s Paraboot Michael, at least as far as silhouette goes.
Best retail experience
Nitty Gritty in Stockholm, Sweden. I stopped in this past summer, knowing the brand mix was top-tier, but I was not prepared for how good their in-house label, Nitty Gritty Worldwide, would be. They work with manufacturers all over the world, and—no exaggeration—it’s better than a lot of mainline brands that get way more hype.
The hats and hoodies I handled in the shop? Yeah, those have been living rent-free in my head ever since. Proof that there’s no substitute for in-store experiences.
Style ins and outs for 2026
Out: Not every celeb needs their own brand
Out: Quarter zips and matcha
Ins: Niche retail shops without any E-commerce
Ins: Fire-ass in-house labels from retail shops continue to be the wave
Mariano’s picks
Collab of the year
When I saw the Division Oxford pop up on my feed, I was convinced it must have come from some cool unknown Japanese brand you’d find in the corner of DSM.
But I was pleasantly surprised to see that they were actually a collab between legendary English shoemaker Grenson and YMC.
I will always be a fan of the slightly weird-looking shoe, and the Division Oxford is exactly that. Their Transmission boot is the coolest take on a roper I’ve seen as well.
A hot take
Most menswear influencers are out of touch with real people. There, I said it.
I’m not trying to beef with anyone, I just think that if every video you post is about some +$1,000 pair of shoes, you’ll quickly lose common ground with your followers.
People want to be guided to brands, most of which they can afford, and some that they can save up for. I have seen too many comments on social media from people saying that what they yearn for is influencers who are still grounded in reality.
I’m sure most of these guys started this way, and once the brand deal $ hit, they lost sight of their original intent.
A brand you recently discovered
Although it’s technically a women’s-focused brand, I’d wear most of Sarah Johnson’s collection, no questions asked.
Handmade, small batch jackets, and vests? Sold.
It’s mainly refreshing to see someone produce goods the slow way and not give in to the pressure of making more things faster and losing quality in the process. They’re currently on a break, but I’m sure they’ll be posting up new stock soon.
Thoughts on personal style
I think people will continue to value function over fashion. I got into menswear during the 2012/2013 Hedi at Saint Laurent era where the jeans were tight and the heels were high.
None of it was practical. Today it’s a whole different process of finding something I like and then holding it up to the test of “Is it useful? Will it last? Is it something I can wear over and over to different events and places?”
This sort of process protects from falling victim to any hyper-specific trends that are happening at any given moment.
A product you got a ton of use out of this year
100% my raglan overcoat from Paynter. I bought this in 2024 but I only really got to wear it this year and it’s been my go-to winter coat.
It’s very similar to the Drakes raglan in terms of promotion but it’s nearly half its weight and not nearly and as stiff.
Paynter makes limited drops four times a year and their process of taking you on the journey of production via emails, along with getting your jacket packaged with photos and illustrations of the process really make it worth the price.
I’d hold this coat up to any brand that’s twice the price and still consider this one the winner.
Best product drop
Village PM. Genuinely shocked at how much I love these. Maybe it’s because I never got to become a pro skater / never was good at rock climbing, these allow me to get that stolen valor in via a pair of sneakers.
All the details are weird (the double loops in the back, the sole making a wave up and down the sides of the shoe, the laces being slightly off-center) and yet they come together to make such an incredibly fascinating sneaker.
I kept seeing whispers of these dropping in stores, and although they weren’t a huge publicized drop, I think they managed to pull off something new in a pretty stale market.
Best retail experience
It’s always going to be 3sixteen (NYC) for me. It’s not the biggest store, but it’s by far the most intentional. And every single nook and cranny is used to showcase the product or add some exceptional detail to the space.
I once entered the store on a Saturday afternoon with 16 friends and their staff was not only able to handle us all, but also lock in a few sales while being super attentive and informative about their product.
I always try to pop in whenever I’m in the area.
Loved getting to throw some thoughts in! Hyped to see what 2026 brings.
love this Ins: Niche retail shops without any E-commerce