OK, ladies. Before you click through thinking there’s nothing in this story for you, consider if you are a.) starting to think about the holidays and looking for a cool selvedge jean to give to your boyfriend, b.) ready to refresh all the raw denim and white button downs in your husband’s closet (as I am), or c.) into surprising your best friend, little brother, dad – any guy you love enough to want to dress – with an all-in-one outfitting package. If any or all of the above scenarios apply, then Buck Mason should be on your radar.
Founded by Erik Schnakenberg and Sasha Koehn, the Los Angeles label offers a clear, cool, direct-to-consumer uniform for men wanting quality, made-in-America clothes. Guys, this one is a given. Buck Mason is the standard issue: selvedge jeans in two fits (Slim and Standard), button down shirts, tees, and a belt. You can buy these pieces separately, or you can buy them in two pre-made, essentials packages (if you travel a lot, these are a must-have). “We try to think about what a really smart purchase is,” says Sasha, who was wearing the looser fitting Standard the day I visited their airy Venice Blvd. bungalow. “What are the pieces you can get a lot of use out of, that you can wear often, and that will last a really long time?”
Making everything in L.A., the two are able to keep prices consistently low ($135 for jeans; $88 for shirts) by selling only through their thoughtfully designed website and L.A. shop. On these platforms, the Buck Mason look crystallizes in story-driven videos (watch their latest here), for example, and in a laid-back, hassle-free store environment, which successfully inspires guys to get things (our photographer Austin was shopping at the end of our shoot; it was a first). “For us, it’s all about discipline and staying really focused,” Erik says about their selection. “You can’t really tie anything here back to what’s happening in fashion right now. You can’t find a logo, and you can’t find color.” I can’t resist telling him that, actually, no-frills-basics are what’s in fashion right now, and that he and Sasha, having created a brand that offers quality at lower costs by cutting out the middle men, are too. “Are we?,” Sasha says, laughing. “I wouldn’t even know.” And that’s all the more reason to love it.
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