The eve of America’s 250th birthday is an opportunity to consider some big questions about the nation’s legacy, the future of democracy, and America’s place in the world. Sure, it’s a mixed bag, but there’s still a lot to celebrate – ranging from heritage brands to conceptual high-fashion labels to excellent menswear to makers of top-notch workwear. In fact, there are so many great American clothing brands these days that it would be almost impossible to list them all (sorry to those not listed here – we still love you!).
To narrow it down, we’ve chosen some of our favorites from three main categories: heritage brands (anything that’s been around for 100 years or more), fashion brands (designer-led labels), and new-school brands (21st-century brands with an emphasis on American-made). To keep things manageable, we also excluded brands that — like Tom Ford, Thom Browne and Supreme — do excellent work, but are no longer American-owned. The result is a no-means-definitive list featuring some of the most important names in American menswear in 2026, ranging from centuries-old stalwarts to recent arrivals.
3sixteen
Year established: 2003
If blue jeans were born in America (more on that later) and perfected in Japan, few labels have done more to bring the two together than 3Sixteen. The New York label develops its denim at the renowned Kuroki Mills in Okayama and then produces best-in-class jeans in San Francisco. And all this says nothing about the excellent shirts, jackets, shoes and more that the brand still produces.
