Buck Mason, An American Clothing Brand Created By Two Foreigners

"I wear T-shirts and jeans every day," said Erik Schnakenberg, co-founder of the Buck Mason brand headquartered in Venice, California. "This is definitely mine uniform 。”

Last year, Schneckenberg, who has a fashion retail background, and his 32 year old friend, Sasha Koehn, who is a technician, decided to launch their own basic T-shirts with affordable prices and exquisite styles. The reason is that it is difficult for them to find the T-shirts that are extremely suitable and affordable. "T-shirts have become a basic weekday dress in Los Angeles," said Kern. "What we want is something that can be worn from morning to night." The classic crew neck T-shirt (cut from North Carolina cotton and processed in Los Angeles) of the Buck Mason brand, which costs 24 dollars (about 145 yuan), is slightly rounded like the hem of a shirt, It looks more fashionable and elegant.

Clay Weishaar, a 33 year old interactive art director, found the Buck Mason T-shirt on Abbot Kinney Boulevard in Venice, where the brand opened a store last October. So far, he has bought about ten T-shirts, which he wears with Acne and Rogue Territory jeans. "I want to simplify the clothes in my wardrobe," Weisshart said. "The T-shirt with a slightly unique style is very suitable for my career. The Hanes T-shirt may not be so good."

It is undeniable that men today have more choices of clothing styles than they did 10 or 15 years ago, but the most attractive clothes are those with exquisite styles: customized suits, lace up shoes, and beautifully cut button down shirts. But when men update the clothes they hang in their closets, shouldn't they also change the basic clothes in their drawers?

According to the data of the market research company NPD, the men's style in American stores in 2013 T-shirt Its sales volume is 5.4 billion dollars (about 32.6 billion yuan), but the price of a T-shirt is less than 11 dollars (about 67 yuan). The challenge faced by brands such as Buck Mason is to convince people that it is worthwhile to spend money to replace the once popular sailor neck T-shirt with a suitable and comfortable T-shirt. When men believe this, they tend to buy more.

Adam Lippes, a 41 year old designer who lives in New York and calls himself a T-shirt fan, said that once a person has personally experienced the feeling of wearing a good T-shirt with his skin, it is easy to change his mind. "I was 23 years old in Oscar de la Renta When the company got a job, everyone there wore a suit, "he said." I was the first person in the company to wear jeans and T-shirts. Therefore, I always looked for the perfect white T-shirt. "Since he was not satisfied with the designer brands he could choose at that time, Lipez began to make T-shirts about ten years ago as a part-time job. He started his own business in 2004, and eventually expanded his business from T-shirts to men's and women's fashion series. After briefly leaving the fashion industry at the end of 2011, the designer released his women's fashion product line again in early 2013. Last summer, he also relaunched his T-shirts.

During the initial design of the T-shirt, Lipez changed the tightness dozens of times before deciding on the final design scheme. Since then, he has never made any changes. "The most important thing is that the shoulders must fit," he said of the difference between his T-shirt and the regular three panel T-shirt. "Look at the length - is it too long or too short?"

Although Kern described Buck Mason Its style is "fitness and leisure", but Lipez's T-shirt has a narrower shoulder and fits tightly enough to show off the layers, or to show off the results after spending several hours in the gym.

Handvaerk, a brand headquartered in New York, is in the middle of the tightness, and its neckline is a little thinner than ordinary T-shirts. Esteban Saba, 41, of Handvaerk Company, said: "This is tailored for those who know how to take care of themselves." Saba, a former investment banker, founded this brand last October with his wife Petra Brichnacova, a 36 year old designer.

The Peruvian born Saba's family has a close relationship with his motherland's textile and clothing industry for nearly a century. The couple used some of their family's factories to produce Handvaerk brand clothing. Saba said that their cotton cloth has two to three times more yarn than ordinary T-shirts. He contrasted it with ultra dense woven sheets.

There are a few things that people who are new to buying high-end T-shirts should keep in mind. First of all, even if the white T-shirt is exquisite, it needs to be updated more frequently than you think. Pay attention to the signs that the color begins to turn yellow. Lipez said: "It is not something that can be worn for a lifetime." Secondly, you should shop around until you find a brand that suits you. There are many conditions to consider when looking for a perfect T-shirt - from the collar to the weight of cotton cloth, to the length.

Finally, Saba suggested that the T-shirts in the wardrobe should be of various styles. "Men like sailor neck T-shirts, but you should also add some V-neck T-shirts," he said. "The pure white Henley shirt looks cool. Every man should have some in his wardrobe."