Editor’s Log: 240219, I continue to walk through the vastness of Pier 94 in search of what the future may hold for small menswear brands. With what little time I have to round out the Liberty Fairs and Capsule Trade Shows, I venture into the far reaches of the trade show booths for the last of the brands.

Mark Albert

Mark Albert‘s second season is a big step up from their first showing six months ago. Looking at the shoes this time around, you might not have guessed that it was the brand’s sophomore effort.

Shearling-lined 8-inch boots, waterproof coyote rough-out leather, bison and calfskin mixed panel derby shoes, and side-zip chelsea boots, are all new additions to the collection.

Meg Company

The family of Meg Company brands includes Yuketen, Monitaly, Chamula, and Epperson Mountaineering. Much of the collection was still comprised of their proprietary water-repellant cotton fabric, Vancloth, but there was also no shortage of nylon quilted fabric.

A standout was actually a few garments that used upholstery fabric traditionally used for furniture. The team sought out the fabric from a furniture fabric mill, did without the backing, and turned it into a long coat and a vest. Haven’t you ever wanted to wear your couch as a piece of outerwear? Don’t lie.

Shockoe Atelier

Virginia-based denim dudes, Shockoe Atelier, march onward with interesting fabrics like the “Robe Denim,” an unsanforized cotton denim with acrylic and poly neps. The denim is then piece washed which gives it the misleading feel of a knit denim. It’ll be coming in both their chore coat style as well as a jean. It’s a denim that might even sway some diehard all-cotton advocates.

American Trench

Terry bottom socks give your feet an extra layer of cushion for the pushin’. Linen-cotton mix socks, random plait knit caps, and a vintage blanket pattern shrunken down into sock size comprise the American Trench accessories.

Made in conjunction with their East Coast factory, they’re continuing to pump out the outerwear with Ventile coats constructed with US-made down fill, Weather Wool peacoats with a directional nap that allows moisture to roll off the wool, and much more. So, if you mostly think of American Trench as a sock brand, you might need to reframe your thinking.

Tune in next time for the last part in this season’s trade show coverage where we (and by ‘we,’ I mean ‘just me’) go to the Man trade show.