Whether you’re a seasoned fashion vet or rolling up fresh-faced to the menswear table, basics are the foundation of every great wardrobe. Yes, the best men’s clothing brands are paid to push things forward, but before you get there, you need to start from square one. And honestly, we GQ editors probably spend more time focusing on the fundamentals—plain white tees, the perfect bodega-run sweatshirt, a roomy pair of chinos—than we actually do chasing the next new look.
Tees, sweatshirts, slacks, underwear: These are the mitochondria of your wardrobe, the powerhouses that keep your style stable season to season, year after year. They’re also the pieces every brand makes, which can make choosing the right basics supplier a minor existential crisis. To help, we gathered the best men’s clothing brands to stock up on right now: 19 brands that consistently deliver unbeatable value, craftsmanship, and versatility.
The Not-So-Basic Basics Hit List
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Abercrombie & Fitch
There’s a pretty simple formula to Abercrombie’s hot streak: familiar staples imbued with a little volume and dash of archive inspiration, and priced so you don’t have to pysch yourself up at checkout. Taken all together, it makes Abercrombie an easy place to build the backbone of a wardrobe, or just grab a few key pieces to patch the holes in the one you’ve already got.
