11 Stores With Great In House Lines

Image via Complex Original

Très Bien is the archetypal brand in this category. The Danish store made a name for itself by not only curating an on-point selection of brands for it's digital shelves, but also for being helmed by Simon and Hannes Hogeman—who have become street style stars via the high-low aesthetics that make Très Bien a menswear destination. Expect the store's self-titled line to embody the aesthetic that's made the Hogeman brothers stand apart from the pack high quality fabrics from Japan and Italy, and accessibly luxe hoodies, coaches jackets, topcoats, T-shirts, and buttondowns.

Carol Lim and Humberto Leon may moonlight as the heads behind storied Parisian fashion house Kenzo, but they've still got roots in their concept shop-meets-designer haven Opening Ceremony. The store helped build its reputation by breaking designers from unseen regions in fashion like South Korea and Russia, but the store also boasts a worthy line of it's own. The aesthetic, somewhere between graphic SoHo streetwear and Parisian tailoring, uses text, prints, and smart brand collaborations. With luxury materials that go toe-to-toe with those found in Parisian houses, there's no doubt that Lim's and Leon's involvement in Kenzo has only improved and refined their store's namesake line.

Where do you begin with Beams? With enough menswear lines to fill an entire store on their own, it's hard to find an American comparison to the Japanese superstore. Just looking at what the company offers to men, there's a range from the upscale-casual “Beams” line founded in 1976, to the focused “Beams Golf” label. Beams even has a line for doctors called “Beams Medical.”

To label Beams as a whole is difficult, but we'd put it somewhere between the choice of Macy's, with the appeal and quality of something like J.Crew or Gap. With so much choice under the company's own umbrella, it's surprising that its stores carry several brands from both Japan and abroad, including adidas Skateboarding, L.L. Bean, United Arrows, and Vans. 

Aldies may best be described as a Japanese mountaineer's magic mushroom-induced fever dream. Specializing in outdoor gear, Aldies produces climbing trousers, parkas, backpacks and fanny packs, but they also produce t-shirts and streetwear. The difference is that their work is heavily influenced by Native American culture, '70s tie-dye, and modern street culture. Imagine if Patagonia started taking LSD in the design meetings—that might bring you a little bit closer to the trippy fun that Aldies brings to their products.

Steven Alan (born Steven Alan Grossman) opened his New York store in 1994 as a way to curate new designers. By 1999 he was launching his own eponymous label with his take on contemporary apparel standards. The city-based chain of stores stretches from NYC to D.C., from L.A. to Japan, and much like the many brick and mortar it holds under its umbrella, there's plenty of selection from Europe, Japan, and the U.S.' best brands.

Steven Alan's line itself is much like Band of Outsiders, collegiate and classic, offering up an insane amount of button up shirting with outerwear, suiting, denim and basics to match. A guy could buy his entire wardrobe at Steven Alan and not only be decked out in brands like Acne Studios, A.P.C., and Engineered Garments, but have great clothes from the store's exclusive line. Yes, the brand began in NYC, but the appeal of Steven Alan is as global as the roster of brands the store carries.

Norse Projects is kind of an “everything at once” brand—but in the best possible way. Need a cool T-shirt? Well, the brand's done graphic collabs with artists like Daniel Frost and James Jarvis. You want a raincoat that's meant for not just a rainy day, but the rainy season? Their work with Elka is stylish as it is practical. Looking at what the brand drops season after season, it's not out of place to call the brand a “Danish A.P.C.”. While it may be hard to associate Norse Projects with it's Norse Store because the brand also has crazy distribution among other major menswear outlets, that thought process is taking away from how great a store Norse Store actually is. Considering the Norse crew runs a killer store while also producing a clean line season after season, Norse Project fits right in.

New York's Carson Street Clothiers isn't just the home of that guy who was on "The Singles Project", it's also home to plenty of suited up labels like Ovadia & Sons, AMI, and Camoshita. What you may not realize, is that the store's in-house line is just as suited for the job (and in certain cases made in the very same NYC factories). With heavy hitters in the form of topcoats, functional dress shoes, and shirts with enough variety as J.Crew (but with better quality), you're sure to get your more than your money's worth and some good conversation when you roll through the shop's SoHo location.

One of biggest icons of Japan's retail reach abroad, United Arrows started in 1989, and never looked back. Creatively directed by Yasuto Camoshita, United Arrows and its subsidiaries like Beauty & Youth, Chrome Hearts, and Camoshita, it's easy to call the brand Japan's answer to J.Crew, Club Monaco, or (in some cases) Brooks Brothers.

With UAs main team of buyers and creative minds becoming street style icons for the sharply-dressed, cohesive crew, the brand has picked up an international reputation for it's modern design and classic quality that meets somewhere between “Take Ivy” and contemporary #menswear. Look no further for this pairing than the collection United Arrows design in collaboration with modern menswear icon Nick Wooster. With the company's stores stocking plenty of goods that sit alongside it's impeccable clothes (much like the aforementioned J.Crew), you might be surprised at how much pride you can take when your clothes boast the United Arrows logo on their tags.

4 Horsemen Supplies may not be the brightest blip on your Canadian brand radar, but with quick hits via its Viberg Service Boot in 2010 and Skookum Varsity Jacket in 2011, the brand has created a cult following via it's Victoria, BC based storefront. The store's own line may be all over the place, including everything from a camel hair wool overcoat to a deadstock denim noragi, but that doesn't mean the quality is—far from it.

With most of its garments “made in Canada,” looking through the online shop is somewhat like browsing the founders' (Miles and Guy) favorite local craftsmen, designers, and brands. Maybe that's why you'll see fellow Canadian brands like Naked & Famous and wings+horns sharing self space at the store. If you're into what 4 Horsemen are bringing (and we promise it's not the apocalypse), acting fast is your best bet: like the end of the world, the best stuff will be gone in a matter of seconds.

Storefront by day, club by night, Brooklyn-based Kinfolk is an interesting beast. With a diverse group of friends founding the concept shop in 2008, they sought out to create a space where they could find the things “they’d imagine but couldn’t find to purchase.” Kinfolk's own brand produces everything from apparel to built to order bicycles, with its clothing featuring collabs with PinTrill, TSPR, and Ebbets Field Flannels. Like any of today's coolest brands, you're going to get an effortless upscale-streetwear vibe from the brand's collections, matching the brands it sits alongside like Bedwin & The Heartbreakers, Maiden Noir, and wings+horns. If you're walking down Wythe Avenue in Williamsburg, it's hard to miss Kinfolk.

Consider it the hard work of Ronnie Fieg, Kith has managed to reach the kids in a surprising way, clearing out competition and brands that share it's space both on the shelf and the street. With NYC as a significant part of its DNA, it's no surprise that Kith has capitalized on the brand's "grinding" mentality, spreading roots well into Europe via sneaker collaborations with Puma, New Balance, and Asics to name a few. In terms of the brand's apparel, it's Bleecker pant has become a streetwear staple, not to mention the array of branded hoodies, varsity jackets and tees to make Nike and John Elliott + Co. jealous, with rugby shirts that invoke memories of the dearly departed Ralph Lauren label of the same name. With Kith, you just can't knock the hustle.