Close to a decade ago, I got an email about a sample sale from a relatively new NYC label named Knickerbocker that looked too good to pass up. I added-to-cart a made-in-America tube tee and a 1930s-inspired hoodie with patch pockets. Total: less than $100. I felt like a genius for scoring quality goods on the cheap. What I didn’t realize was that I’d just started a long-term relationship with Knickerbocker—a brand that nails “heritage-inspired” while twisting the dial ever-so-slightly in its own direction.
Before my love came along, the brand had a wild start. It was founded in 2013 as Knickerbocker Manufacturing Co. by Eitan Braham and Andrew Livingston, who funded the purchase of a Queens hat factory by Kickstarter (which was a thing you could do back then). The label started off quietly making hats and clothes for other brands while dabbling in some of Braham and Livingston’s own designs. They were clean, simple, quality pieces inspired by the 20th century heyday of leisure clothes—a heavy debt to Russell, Champion, and all the American brands that spun cotton into gold.
Demand for Knickerbocker’s goods took off enough that in 2018 it dropped the “Manufacturing” from the name and moved out of its original Queens factory space. A year later Knickerbocker blew up by launching one hell of a collaboration, partnering with The New York Times. (Knickerbocker still makes a slew of the Times’ merch.) In 2021 it opened a Canal Street flagship with a hidden bookstore in the back that caught GQ’s eye.
Knickerbocker’s basics feel like those perfectly broken-in tees you’d luck into at a vintage shop in Ohio, looking around to see if anyone else understood the gold sitting on the racks. At the same time, the brand’s full seasonal collections now go beyond immaculate pocket tees, knit polos, and heavy-duty crewnecks. Think asymmetric-pocketed nylon shorts, a squared-off cotton sport coat, and a sharp-edged take on the trucker jacket. And here we are: what started as an upstart maker of well-crafted basics has turned into one of the best low-key clothing brands out there—offering not just clothes, but a point of view.
Save Knickerbocker’s US-made watch caps, most of its collection now comes out of Italy, Japan, and Portugal—three countries that treat fabric like a sacred art. Take the brand’s Oxford shirt: It’s made in Portugal from a dense 6.5 oz. custom cotton topped off with a sharp collar and real-deal mother-of-pearl buttons. A hang-tag shaped like a T-bone steak underscores the literal beefiness. How many brands are nerding out on this level of detail and at this price range? Like, five—max.
Beyond the original hoodie and tee that got me hooked, my current favorites are the Catskills HBT Coat in camo and the Stadium Loft Knit Quarter Zip. The coat’s duck camo looks great with khaki chinos and canvas sneakers, while the half-zip has been getting heavy rotation with shorts and cargo pants. The jacket hits just right, exactly at the waist. The zip pullover’s collar doesn’t flop around like a sad cravat. Details like that are the difference between “like” and “maybe I shouldn’t wear this for the fourth straight day.”
The menswear middle class is filled with powerhouses: Buck Mason and Todd Snyder turning out elevated staples; J.Crew holding down the mall; Beams and Engineered Garments bringing Japanese-inflected fun. Knickerbocker has carved out a lane by speaking to vintage obsessives who notice zipper details and any guy who wants A-tier execution with a 10-degrees-off-center twist. Knickerbocker doesn’t chase trends, but it does know which way the wind is blowing.
A decade ago, I thought I was just scoring a couple deals from another hyped workwear brand. Ten years on and I’m adding new Knickerbocker pieces to the rotation, all while the originals remain in play. The brand’s earned its menswear cred, quietly, piece by piece.
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