Underdiscussed Brands - Topic of the day 8/16/25
For every brand in #brands or mentioned in another #topic-of-the-day there's probably one we've missed - until now. Whatever burning opinions on brands you have that aren't in the limelight, let us know: Is there a secretly good (or secretly bad) brand out there? Is someone churning out inventive clothes without the benefit of a high marketing budget or people discussing it length on discord? Lord your thoughts over us here.
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32 Replies
always surprised that outlier isnt mentioned here more. they've moved far from the capsule wardrobe//tech bro aesthetic that established them to bolder, more considered patterns. imo their true strength will always be that they use the most interesting textiles ive felt to date
what im most impressed at w them is the range of styles that their garments can provide a foundation for. id say about 40% of my wardrobe is from them many of these items have lasted across multiple style changes
https://outlier.nyc/
There are a handful that I like but don’t get talked about much because they’re largely upper-mid-tier brands that are overpriced at retail but good on deep sale or especially secondhand. Theory, Vince, and Robert Barakett are some standouts that if you can get 50% off are good and often can find at good prices used
Also maybe I just don’t see it, but while I don’t own anything from them officine generale I really like the look books from
uniqlo is child exploitation fast fashion and everyone loves to pretend theyre different to the rest
anyway im biased because theyre my friends but you should all check out pearled ivory
minimal, focus on nice fabrics and cuts, a little sexy
I mean at the risk of starting an argument, I don’t think you can argue that SHEIN is the same level of quality as Uniqlo. There are tiers of fast fashion quality, Uniqlo is still on the list though
(Not that Uniqlo is like “high quality” just that there are worse options)
the rhe less stinky shit is still a shit
I really like Roberto collina. It’s been the way I’ve been able to afford nice knits.
Awz puts me on random smaller brands and I fw them heavy
And then no-one stocks them so it's doomed
Shout out Ujoh and LGN Louis Gabriel Nouchi rn
They used to get mentioned more, it's just that they tend to trend towards office core as well as heavily millenial cuts. Theory in particular is owned by Uniqlo and has a very good fabric sourcing team as well as Uniqlo's absurb level of QC consistency. Great for the secondhand price but intentionally somewhat sterile in design and fit.
Yeah that’s true as well
@Smile is a huge niche brand knower, I found out about itochi from them
I think a lot of niche brands unfortunately also don't enter the conversation because of a lack of a secondhand market as well as international retailers.
Ssense will pick them up for a season and then drop them a lot of the time, same with Mr. Porter
Right now a lot of the smaller korean brands have been excellent niche buys
AMOMENTO, Pottery, Low Classic and others
Youth lab Seoul is the store brand from Obscura Store seoul and quite good but the pricing from Ssense or price of international shipping directly from them does ruin the pricing most of the time.
Jiyongkim has been a recent comeup and really really good. Good cuts and designs and the sunfaded stuff they do is cool in its own right
Sunflower is one of the wave of Our Legacy clones, which itself is a clone of Acne Studios originally and now vintage Armani, but they stand out a bit for me because they have really excellent seasonal sales, which is a good way to pick up solid basic pieces.
Al probably the ultimate niche brand knower tho, I can see him typing
uniqlo
my recent favorites (mostly shoutout to eric at today) that i hope get bigger:
* joone joonam -- worked at camiel and is like a camiel with more soul in the garms
* walter van beirendonck -- can't say he hasn't gotten his accolades being one of the antwerp 6 but damn if his work still isn't 10/10
* bernhard willhelm - my favorite designer that i own nothing from since 2011
* polyploid - german design and german / japanese make with cool sihouettes
* cristaseya / seya -- niche womenswear/unisex stuff that speaks it's own language
* dusan - incredible fabrics and silhouettes. very feminine but some garms are very easily worn unisex
* henrik vibskov - the only danish designer who actually has any joy in their collections
* forme d expresion - very unisex brand that i wrote off for years as being part of the annoying darkwear trends but hits in a more endearing softer way than most of those brands and very beautiful textiles
* a tentative atelier - budget harnden
CHCM is also just amazing at stocking mostly smaller brands https://chcmshop.com/, highly recommend going through their brand list if you're into A Kind of Guise or similar aesthetics
United athle, they make decent basics but can be too basic
Kooky Zoo and Graziano & Gutierrez are my top ones I'd say rn
G&G is a lot of fun
Niceness is a brand that my friend put me on, haven’t seen any of their stuff in person but I adore the lookbooks
https://www.niceness.jp
M essential
https://www.instagram.com/messentialofficial/?hl=en
Slopeslow
https://slopeslow.com
NICENESS | Official Website
NICENESS | Official Website
Tokyo-based fashion brand founded in 2017.Pursuing the quality makes ones life emotionally wealthy through the products.
M ESSENTIAL (@messentialofficial) • Instagram profile
6,452 Followers, 34 Following, 227 Posts - See Instagram photos and videos from M ESSENTIAL (@messentialofficial)
Slopeslow
Inspired by old workwear that stands the test of time, Slopeslow makes tough, authentic, fine, and lifelong knitwear.
There's some up for decent prices on proxy, the inseam length just put me off
The pants tend to have around 26" inseams, which is pretty cropped even by Japanese pant cut standards
Gorgeous fabrics and the IG posts go into detail on all the fabrics/materials
I’m fiending about the camel leather jacket from AW23
https://www.instagram.com/p/CyKYVxZPzW7/?igsh=Y2tvb2swN3Noc2xm
niceness_official
AW23 ‘Indigenous Futurism’
CRASH.C (NN-0201B12)
This rider's jacket is inspired by the 1970s British riding jackets while incorporating elements of that era's style and design, along with a modern interpretation and updates. The camel leather used in this jacket has an exceptionally high fiber density, offering a combination of suppleness ...
Instagram
Also Ficus is cool from what I’ve heard
https://www.ficusshanghai.com
FICUS Shanghai
Modern Eastern Aesthetics
FICUS was founded in Shanghai in 2016. Stemming from a passion for classic menswear garments from both the East and the West, we are dedicated to creating timeless works that portray a unique aesthetic merging Eastern philosophy.
posted it several times but this feels like a one-of-a-kind garment to me:
https://www.niceness.jp/products/vassiliu/
niceness
NICENESS
VASSILIU – NICENESS
Tokyo-based fashion brand founded in 2017.Pursuing the quality makes ones life emotionally wealthy through the products.
Insaaane
Wow, this is an amazing piece.
MotivMFG is one of my favorite brands and (I would argue) is severely underrated. On of my absolute grails is the French Hunting Jacket in green.
I love their collaboration with division road (https://divisionroadinc.com/collections/motivmfg?srsltid=AfmBOoqb22QFw0GxF7JDqRIb6nmE72CVk4nMHzHi1KmwPxle5zj_62GP) which is very workwear inspired, but their mainline stuff is equally great (https://standardandstrange.com/collections/motivmfg?srsltid=AfmBOopJgbYTUTSJOJ_Ud28KsVOvNR5QRTWsWQDqu91mxKOE_XI6TYkT).
Division Road, Inc.
MotivMfg
Created in Beijing by Daniel Gu and Samuel Wei in 2016, MotivMfg seeks to break down the duality between handmade and machine-made clothing. Based in the converted loft of a former 1950's factory, all developments, from sketch to garment, are done within the MotivMfg studio. Using European tailoring methods dating back
Standard & Strange
MotivMfg
Home to the absolute best in denim, boots, and more from Japan, USA, and Europe.
It used to be my go-to brand for knitwear. Very solid value for the price.
Man I'm into Nosapluna atm tell me about understocked brands
a lot of underdiscussed brands were already noted (particularly LGN louis gabriel nouchi, walter van beirendonck, and henrik vibskov).
will also add
- calcaterra - admittedly it's womenswear with few stockists but their designs (particularly the jackets) skirt the line between wearable and sculpture
- magliano - fell in love with their pleated sweatpants only to realize they hit a lot of the subversive, irreverent, and/or well-constructed notes i am drawn to
- p.andrade - really dig the juxtaposition of traditional and gorpy influences; their pieces are often sleek and minimal but still have some interest, particularly in how the planes of fabric come together
CALCATERRA (@calcaterrad) • Instagram profile
33K Followers, 4,427 Following, 5,449 Posts - See Instagram photos and videos from CALCATERRA (@calcaterrad)
Magliano (@magliano.insta) • Instagram profile
121K Followers, 219 Following, 726 Posts - See Instagram photos and videos from Magliano (@magliano.insta)
p_a (@p_andrade) • Instagram profile
75K Followers, 38 Following, 145 Posts - See Instagram photos and videos from p_a (@p_andrade)
on the opposite end I'm surprised kodyphillips hasn't been discussed as often given how much hype they got in 2024; the cargos are uh...interesting but usually there'd be someone still championing or even asking about them and yet crickets
Hoping to see more in person when I head back to China
A brand that I haven’t seen mentioned here before is sœur, they’re very popular in France
Awesome cuts
Originally a women’s brand (with a very unisex style), they launched their (more boring) men’s line « Frère » a little while back
Never bough anything from them but their stuff looks good and I’ve heard about them a lot
InstaFix - Fix Instagram Embed
outlandermagazine (@outlandermagazine)
This deserves way more media attention, this is WONDERFUL
