The 25 Best Men's Style Brands of 2012 (So Far)

Who says you have to sacrifice style for comfort? Reigning Champ has perfected tailored sweatshirts, sweatpants, and even sweat shorts that we can't stop wearing. It's what we call "fancy leisure swag." Not to mention, its in-house access to high-quality fleece is this Canadian brand's best kept secret... they're so good, other brands have enlisted their services to produce the best knits money can buy.

There's something to be said for consistency. Undefeated has been releasing clothes and accessories that we want to wear, season after season. It's a big deal, considering all the newcomers who are competing with the veterans as if it's a streetwear bloodbath. We salute UNDFTD for the awesome varsities and dope collabs (especially with BAPE) this year.

The unstructured sportcoat has become somewhat of a mainstay in the world of menswear very recently. Maybe it's the dedicated cabal of bloggers that have been singing its merits for a while, or it’s just because tailored gear is just getting more and more casual. Regardless, the quality of Italian manufacturer Boglioli can’t be denied. You can count on Boglioli’s European-made pieces to not only be of the highest quality, but fit great and utilize materials like enzyme-washed fabrics and hand-finished treatments to give each jacket an artful, lived-in look that oozes absolute, effortless class.

Designer Christopher Bastin's influences often come from his friends, and if there were any label that was a great example of how much the "#menswear" world of blogging has affected the fashion industry, this would be it. With close ties to many street style photographers and menswear bloggers, Bastin even named one of the sweatshirts in his collection the "Blogger's Delight." Good thing his friends seem to have their respective fingers on the pulse, because the stuff he puts out also speaks to regular guys wanting to up their style a few notches without going totally broke. Crisp, tailored button downs pair well with slim-cut suiting and prep classics like bomber jackets and lightweight parkas, all balanced out with slim trousers, tees, and knits with a vintage feel.

Club Monaco continues to climb into mainstream menswear popularity thanks to designer Aaron Levine. Now backed by an attractive, easy-to-use e-commerce site, the Ralph Lauren-owned label is proving to be a worthy rival of J. Crew. While both brands occupy the sweet spot between high-fashion and a run-of-the-mill “mall brand,” Club Monaco’s edge comes from its “new kid on the block” persona, which may attract customers that might be looking for something different, and we’re sure plenty will be pleasantly surprised.

Dao-Yi Chow and Maxwell Osborne have come a long way from their days at Sean John. Informed by the streetwear world and other NYC influences, they made their debut into New York Fashion Week with their Fall/Winter 2012 presentation, and enlisted the help of indie rocker Twin Shadow to show it off in a video campaign. As part of the Council of Fashion Designers of America’s incubator program, Public School has steadily evolved into a full-fledged fashion label. Combining a dark aesthetic and rebellious design with classic menswear staples, Public School’s clothing is pretty much an education on the art of being classically cool.

Keith Hufnagel decided to close down his flagship store in L.A. to focus more on the HUF brand as a whole. We were disappointed by his decision at first, but the founder knew exactly what he was doing. Just take a look at the collections and the sought-after product this year—there's a reason why all the Plantlife socks and dope camp caps are constantly sold out. HUF has really perfected the streetwear x skate aesthetic.

Designer Micah Cohen makes the kind of clothes that are familiar, but different enough. His spring line had M-65 jackets rendered in a subdued teal, knit sweat shorts done up in a tribal print pattern, and chambray button downs and pocket tees that utilized aged metal buttons. It’s this mash-up of the familiar and fashionable that’s gained him a dedicated following and placement on websites and stores all over. His upcoming Fall collection marked his first debut into New York Fashion Week, and from what we’ve seen, we can’t wait for it to hit stores. Expect the designer’s slim-cut, modern take on suiting, eveningwear, and sweatpants, with a few awesome items like military jackets, varsities, and winter-ready topcoats thrown in.

Breathing new life into technical and performance clothing, the team at Isaora is carving out a niche all their own. The collection is made up of tailored pants, button-down shirts, knits, and jackets, but all done with functionality in mind, meaning, you can wear them running, to the gym, on a hike, or on the slopes, or by contrast, to dinner or on a date and be covered on all angles. You can say good-bye baggy to your windbreaker pants, and hello to nylon pants that look better than your favorite jeans.

Beyond the Americana-heavy Levi’s Vintage Collection, Levi’s has launched a variety of other lines that have landed them a spot on this list. Their Made & Crafted collection is chock-full of new takes on classic items from the Levi’s archive, whether it’s colorful interpretations of pants and shirt jackets, or a covetable hybrid varsity/trucker jacket. Meanwhile, their Commuter collection continues to meld the performance needs of the urban cyclist with a clean aesthetic, trim fit, and affordable price point. We can’t wait to see what else the brand has in store for 2012.

Designer Michael Bastian took a brief hiatus before coming back strong with an Americana-inspired collection for his namesake label. Drawing on cult heroes like James Dean, his Spring/Summer 2012 line was more like his own declaration of independence, especially from his former ties with Italian luxury brand Brunello Cucinelli. Bastian’s new mythology is American sportswear’s native son, and his ongoing collaboration with GANT also helps translate his vision to a younger, college-age crowd.

This time last year, Bobby Hundreds and Complex ranked Stussy as the #1 greatest streetwear brand. Not only have they been carrying the torch with staples like graphic tees, snapbacks, and workwear-inspired camo pants, but their higher-end Stussy Deluxe line has been offering luxe gear to a more discerning customer. Couple that with some great collabs made in conjunction with Doc Martens, Ettinger, and even the A$AP Mob, and it's evident that the pioneering brand can still keep it up with the new kids.

The Brooklyn brand has come a long way from its roots as a manufacturer of clothing geared towards commuter cyclists. Its pivot shirts and OG chinos have repurposed technical fabrics and put performance wear in a new context: urban lifestyle. While other companies have tried to merge weatherproof techniques and an office-appropriate wardrobe, only Outlier has managed to balance simple design and technological advances in fabrication with a modern, trim fit and the kinds of clothes guys will wear every day without hesitation.

While by no means a new brand — it's actually been around since 2003, Bedwin & The Heartbreakers is certainly gaining a following stateside as of late. Designer Masafumi "Bebetan" Watanabe was previously known for his gig at another cult Japanese brand, Tenderloin, before establishing Bedwin & The Heartbreakers. No, the name isn't inspired by a make-believe rockabilly band, but rather, it's derived from the Northern African Bedouin tribes whose nomadic lifestyle means their attire needed to have both form and function. Thus, Watanabe's new label strives to make the kind of quality clothing that will last longer than its owner. Hence their motto: "Paramount Quality." This year's been notable because the brand has finally become more than the stuff of drool-worthy blog posts, and been picked up at American retailers like Odin and Bodega. Sure, it's pricey, but if Watanabe has his way, you're definitely getting what you pay for.

If 2011 was the year the snapback came back, there is no doubt that 2012 is the year of the five-panel. Leading the pack is dark horse FairEnds, who makes the camp caps for a variety of brands, before putting out its own in-house line that utilized timely patterns like tribal-inspired prints, polka dots, and camouflage. That isn’t to say they follow trends, they simply have been doing what they like, and what’s popular happened to align with that.

London is now the go-to city for young designers, and one of the city's stand-out stars is Christopher Shannon. He has presented his namesake collection on the runway a few seasons now, and even had collaborations with Eastpak and Cambridge Satchel Company. Shannon is sure to be one of the biggest names in menswear this year. HIs collections are always bright and playful takes on classic men's pieces like button-downs, tailored pants, and shorts, but always accented and embroidered with contrasting fabrics, which keeps it fun and lighthearted as fashion should be. Plus, if his retail presence says anything about him, it's that people are buying what he is selling.

The Parisian label got a facelift thanks to Carol Lim and Humberto Leon of Opening Ceremony, who took over as creative directors. Now with a colorful new look, Kenzo’s reinvention made the house that Kenzo Takada built relevant to a new generation who had long since been aware of Opening Ceremony’s bright, eccentric style, which is definitely felt in the new direction the brand’s headed in.

It’s no secret that most guys are averse to “fashion,” but what’s made Adam Kimmel so accessible is his ability to know what regular cool guys are into, and balance it out with a pared-down yet stylish aesthetic. This design outlook meant that collaborations with brands like Supreme and Carhartt were a natural fit. Kimmel is the kind of fashion designer that makes pieces guys wear without necessarily being able to tell you who made it, just that they really love it and rock the hell out of it.

Shayne Oliver might not be a household name yet, but 2012 is his year as he re-launches his NY-based brand Hood By Air. You can't hit any party in downtown NYC and not see anyone not rocking one of their logo tee's or tanks, and even style icons like A$AP Rocky have been riding the Hood By Air train, making it even more buzz worthy and covetable. With retailers like RSVP Gallery and Opening Ceremony on board, we're sure HBA is a brand that will be talked about heavily in 2012.

Nin Truong is superman of the Pacific Northwest. Not only does he own skate companies and nightclubs, he also teaches college classes. Most importantly, he's been designing for streetwear favorite, Maiden Noir, for the past seven years. His clothes have grown up right along with us—it's refined, tailored, and clean—which means we can rock the goods from skate parks to dinner dates.

Ariel and Shimon Ovadia have officially broken out of being a blogged-about buzz brand and into a formidable label. Building on a steady stable of luxury suiting, shirting, pants, and covetable footwear, their aesthetic of “redefined classics” recently landed them a cushy position at J. Press, where they’ll oversee a brand new modern line of menswear, in hopes of bringing the preppy outfitter into a new, relevant heyday.

James Jebbia and crew continue to bring the heat. Despite the ubiquity of the Kate Moss campaign, Supreme still keeps their street cred by teaming up with Japanese labels like Comme des Garcons, and fringe musicians like Daniel Johnston. Yes, they keep putting out hats and T-shirts that sell out almost as soon as they become available, but it’s clear there are some pieces they make just because they’re still having fun with it: like a red Rawlings baseball glove.

The storied fabric manufacturer’s line of luxury clothing recently changed hands from Engineered Garments designer Daiki Suzuki to quirky Americana designer Mark McNairy. Having previously been a design director for J. Press, McNairy was quick to infuse his own aesthetic into the brand, eschewing notions of hunting gear and workwear and instead focusing on Woolrich’s history of collegiate-appropriate clothing, furthering McNairy’s “twisted prep” aesthetic and coming up with awesome designs like African-inspired prints, bright nylon anoraks, and backpacks utilizing some of Woolrich’s patented plaid patterns.

Riccardo Tisci is killing it. Besides creative stints art directing The Throne’s tour, Givenchy’s creative director stays making a mint off the Rottweiler graphic, introducing a shark and floral prints this spring that have already made their rounds on the backs of rappers like Theophilus London and Waka Flocka Flame. What’s great is that a co-sign from Kanye West and Jay-Z doesn’t seem to have affected Tisci’s creative vision either. He didn’t dumb things down — rather, hip-hop’s collective taste was elevated by his luxurious aesthetic. And countless people haven’t been able to afford that much swag ever since.