The 25 Best Men's Style Brands of 2012

Here's the thing about cycling brands: they're either too sporty to be stylish, or way expensive and limited. PEdAL ED is a balance of both worlds. Designed by Hideto Suzuki, a stake in the company was bought by Brooks, which is a heavy co-sign from the cycling world. Combine that with technical fabrics juxtaposed with classic menswear designs, and you have one of the most interesting brands to watch in 2013.

If 2012 was the year of the five-panel hat, then Fairends topped the competition, no pun intended. In its rookie year, we've seen its wares get picked up by stores like Hickorees and Unis, and we can see why. Fairends has great taste in patterns, whether it was the spring faded tribal prints, to this season's awesome flannel and corduroy offerings. It was enough to attract the attention of Levi's, who dropped a collab with them.

Even though their collaboration with Jil Sander ended last year, they followed it up with the UU collection by Undercover's Jun Takahashi. While that was met with mixed reception, Uniqlo also opened up an e-commerce shop stateside, sending Americans everywhere into a spending spree for the brand's amazingly affordable wares. With more recent collaborations with Theory and menswear that remains stylish and accessible, Uniqlo is poised to become an economic force when it comes to where dudes cop their clothes.

Brooklyn We Go Hard, or BWGH, got its name from a series of T-shirts it dropped with Brooklyn-based photographers. The brand itself hails from Paris. When they dropped their "Brooklyn Parlez Francais" chenille sweatshirt, people went nuts. What followed was a series of collabs with shops like Opening Ceremony and Kitsune, playing on that particular piece. Its recent collection shows they have potential beyond crewneck sweatshirts, and we're excited to see what's in store for 2013.

Gap took a look back that was actually a step forward for the beleaguered retailer. Its new collection focused more on creating well-fitting basics like khakis, oxfords, and knits, and enlisted faces like Lil Buck to help get the new message across. A collaboration with buzzed-about menswear designers helped drive more men to the stores, and it seems to have paid off, literally. This month, it seems the retailer is experiencing a resurgence in the fast-fashion industry.

When it comes to men's shoes, you might not know Rancourt right away, but you've definitely seen their work. The Maine-based footwear company actually manufactures shoes for other labels. Combining quality materials like Horween leather with solid construction and unorthodox materials and colors like loden green and tree sap-soles, and you've got a shoe company worth keeping an eye on in 2013.

Shayne Oliver's Hood By Air line caught on because of its mix of '90s staples, oversized silhouettes, and a little S&M edge, like dark colors and leather. Their classics line includes flips on movie studio logos like Paramount, as well as easily wearable hoodies, tees, and football-inspired jerseys. We can't wait to see what Oliver and company are cooking up for 2013.

Palace is a British skateboard company whose cool graphic T-shirts and dope roster of riders gave them instant street cred among cool guys. Then they dropped a collaboration with Umbro, drawing on equal parts nostalgia and football hooliganism. After that sold out instantly, it was clear they had developed a solid fanbase. That was proven when they established a pop-up web shop... which promptly crashed as everything was instacopped.

Levi's killed it this year. While their Made & Crafted and Levi's Vintage Collection lines offered up quality goods for high-end customers, and this year's Supreme collab sold out quickly, they also dropped more affordable products that were revolutionary. Building on the continued success of their bike-friendly Commuter Collection, they followed it up with a collaboration with Nike on a skateboarding jean. Levi's also launched a made-to-order jeans service this year for its most discerning fans.

Norse Projects is a Scandinavian brand running their ship right. In addition to dropping continually impressive clothing collections, their caps have a streetwear appeal that can't be denied. They've also dropped some sick collaborations in 2012, with companies like Tricker's and shops like GoodHood. Even if 2013 delivers more of the same from Norse Projects, it will definitely be worth paying attention to.

Batten Sportswear is a Japanese surf brand with an entirely different take on Americana. From their awesome pocket tees to lightweight parkas, we weren't surprised to see them open up a pop-up shop at Nepenthes earlier this year. Batten regularly drops outerwear worth drooling over, and their upcoming collection does not disappoint. Now, if only it was easier to come across...

Kokon Tonzai, aka KTZ, makes really, really crazy stuff. We're talking a mixture of dark, gothic symbols, a little bit of heavy metal imagery, and a lot of black. Mixing up patches and all-over prints, the stuff is definitely not wearable by most guys, but it does look awesome on plenty of celebrities. They've certainly got rappers like Big Sean interested, and rocking a look that resembles tights worn underneath shorts.

J. Crew is far from dropping the ball when it comes to menswear staples any guy can pull off—and afford. From selvedge jeans, chambray shirts, and outerwear like peacoats, they balance it out with high-end brands like Nanamica, streetwear-friendly sneaker collabs with Nike and New Balance, and remain one of the most accessible places you can cop quality footwear from Alden and Red Wing.

Artist Ruslan Karablin might be known more for his line, "The Cut" which riffs on Rei Kawakubo's Comme des Garcons label, but his SSUR line came into its own this year. His fall 2012 collection, shot by The 13th Witness, shows that Karablin's graphics are heavy in the streets, and not just on the heads of the A$AP Mob. Meanwhile, his holiday T-shirt collection shows flips on New York City and luxury symbols like Rolex.

Ronnie Fieg's Kith label really stepped up its game in 2012. Dropping an awesome series of printed jackets and pants, the red label collection had streetwear fans foaming at the mouth. They followed that up with the equally impressive blue label collection, and enviable collabs with Harris Tweed, Golden Bear, and BWGH.

En Noir's seemingly overnight success can be attributed to the design prowess of Rob Garcia and the fact that Kanye rocked his leather sweatpants and tank top in the music video for "Birthday Song." With a co-sign like that, it wasn't long before other celebrities got put onto the brand. Combining streetwear staples like T-shirts and sweats with luxe materials like leather, we got a behind-the-seams look at the construction and thought process that goes into each piece, and we can easily see how it practically became an overnight success.

Once ignored as the red-headed stepchild of Ralph Lauren, Club Monaco has been absolutely killing it lately. Thanks to the efforts of designer Aaron Levine and menswear blogfather Michael Williams of A Continous Lean, Club Monaco's latest collections have been a coup for accessible men's clothing. Collaborations with fashion influencers like Tommy Ton brought modern voices to the brand, while launching an e-commerce shop this year brought their new, awesome goods to men everywhere. To top it off, they're really stepping up their tailored sweatpants game, often styling lookbook models in the cozy bottoms and offering them at a variety of pricepoints. These guys were the fashion brand that brought them from athletic gear to menswear staple.

Creative Directors Carol Lim and Humberto Leon have taken French label Kenzo and reinvigorated its roots as a vibrant fashion house. Combining their pop sensibilities present in their Opening Ceremony brand and store, they infused enough modernity into Kenzo and rejuvenated its youth by throwing items like New Era caps and Vans Authentics into the mix. Judging by the instant sell-out of these items, we're going to say it was a success.

Belgian designer Tim Coppens is relatively new—having started his namesake label in Fall 2012, but he's already making waves in the menswear world. Like many menswear designers, he's a veteran of Ralph Lauren, but the clothes he makes don't speak to generations of American heritage or classic masculinity at all. Rather, they resemble the type of sci-fi gear we thought we'd be rocking in the future—except they definitely don't look out of place now. Opting for brighter colors, leather accents, and re-interpreted staples like bombers, varsities, and sweaters, Coppens' clothes aren't for the everyday guy—they're for the man of tomorrow.