Here's What We Saw at the Liberty and Capsule Spring/Summer 2018 Menswear Trade Shows

There’s a lot going on in the world right now. We may not have all the answers. But if you were to ask us, “What clothing will be in stores a year from now?” we’d have that answer for you. We went to New York again for the menswear trade shows to see the future. Though it was less like a crystal ball and more like sweaty humid glob, here’s what we saw at this year’s New York menswear trade shows.

Meg Company

Once again, Meg Company, which comprises Yuki Matsuda’s Monitaly, Yuketen, Chamula, and Epperson Mountaineering, was the largest booth by far. Strictly speaking about shoes, there were at least 150 styles. Not going to cover all of them. But, a few animal print hair-on-hide pieces were some of the eye catchers.

Epperson continues their outdoor bag line with lightweight synthetic fabrics cut into vessels best suited for hikers and mountain climbers. A standout was the materials that they were using for some of their bags which was the same material used for automobile seat belts. We neglected to ask if they met crash test standards.

Mohinders

Abandoning the tech field after a life changing trip to India, Mohinder makes some funky looking slip on shoes with a holistic take on leather. The brand uses natural ingredients like Acacia tree bark and Myrobalan nut to tan their leathers. The result is a naturally tanned hide that’s more supple than traditional vegetable tanned leather. It also smells really sweet.

After the tanning process, the water buffalo leather is hand cut and woven by leather artisans in India.

Naked & Famous

Brandon Svarc always has something up his sleeve, but this season was a bit of an exception. Though there were some standout pieces like the 10th Anniversary Jeans which have a selvedge ID containing 10 different colors, or the recycled denim jeans which use recycled denim fibers that are cut and respun into new yarns and also have a recycled leather patch, or the super light one dip indigo jeans, there was something so out there, that we weren’t even allowed to take photos of it. There’s been buzz online involving a collaboration with certain nostalgic video game. I will say that they really went all out.

Dickies 1922

Even Dickies can’t resist taking a break from workwear. They’ve gone on vacation with an indigo-dyed Hawaiian shirt. Must be Willy Chavarria’s doing.

B. Blakely Custom Embroidery

Brian Blakely used to be a part of the Knickerbocker crew but has recently gone out on his own to do chain stitch embroidery services. Heddels squad uniforms to come. Maybe we’ll get a chain stitch embroidery of a chain stitch for some extra meta menswear points.

Pure Blue Japan

Always a treat for us blue bloods, Pure Blue Japan continues their denim excellence. Western shirts with some curvy pockets and wood snap buttons make me excited for life again. More sashiko fabrics make their way into the collection with a raglan sleeve double indigo sashiko jacket.

Mark Albert

When I was 20 years old, I had really just started my path down the menswear selvedge brick road. At 20 years old, Mark Albert has his own footwear line. And for a budding brand, it’s a pretty decent debut. Employing a factory team that’s been making shoes since the mid-1900s, he hopes to provide the jobs that were lost. Goodyear welted, Horween leather, vintage shoe lasts, and a competitive price.

Railcar Fine Goods

Railcar continues down the selvedge tracks with denim and canvas. Most notably, they’ve acquired a rare machine that essentially does a blanket stitch. Like a blanket stitch, it covers the raw edge of fabric. To his knowledge — and ours — there’s not another machine out there.

Knickerbocker

Presidential bandanna’s for those who like weird ephemera of elections’ past, Hawaiian shirts, melton wool coats, Knickerbocker maintains their clean 50s aesthetic.

Clarks

Clarks has cemented their place in menswear history as the desert boot. It’s been quite some time since they’ve produced their desert boots in England, save for their celebratory 65th anniversary version. This time, they’re looking to take things back to home turf, with some upgrades in the process. They’re going full welt with the move home, adding a leather outsole in addition to the goodyear welt. Now your classic kicks can last a little bit longer.

Archabes

Started just 3 years ago, Archabes takes a Japanese approach to Americana centered around the 1940s-60s. See that pineapple Hawaiian shirt? It’s actually got double the pineapples with the tart non-pizza-able fruit rendered as a print as well as a jacquard weave. They’ve also got plenty of fun takes on the indigo wabash stripes, cut into shirts and even sportcoats.