Three weeks ago, we ran our annual Permanent Style awards where you, lovely readers, voted for your favourite brands and favourite things. There were over 400 responses – on the article and on social – and I’ve produced some of the results below.
The category I was most interested in was ‘Favourite mainstream brand’ as this wasn’t something we had ever asked before. Obviously I also watched the ‘Favourite menswear brand’ results as that was always going to be the most popular, and the one most brands care about. I spoke to a few that were watching the votes as they came in.
The other three – best artisan, best product, best repair – I haven’t mentioned as there are too many individual results to summarise effectively. That requires reading the comments yourself – perhaps searching the page for your city or country, if you are interested in repairs recommendations.
Who is your favourite mainstream brand?
- Ralph Lauren – 82
- Uniqlo – 51
- Buck Mason – 12
- Sunspel – 10
- Crockett & Jones – 8
- Marks & Spencer – 7
- Lemaire – 6
Ralph Lauren
Ralph Lauren crushed it here, but the results were not as positive as the numbers might suggest. If anything, I think they show the poverty of good mainstream brands, such that Ralph is now the default – the brand everyone thinks about – but few people actually buy it.
A typical response was: “I can’t think of any other menswear stores with so many locations. The styling is great. I think it’s very overpriced, though, and I don’t generally buy from it”. Another said: “Even if I don’t buy anything, the rigs in store always provide a little inspiration for me to bring home.”
When people did buy something, it often seemed to be vintage: “Availability at several price points, vast depth of styles, easily available on the secondhand market,” said one reader. So many started with this kind of praise, only to add caveats: “Incredible brand that produces some real gems (once one sorts through the chaff). Many of my favourite items of clothing are vintage Ralph Lauren”.
There were some small positives though. One reader said they thought RL had “gotten back to its roots” in the past two years, while another said they had found their shirts “have started to embrace more collar roll and Ivy style notes”.
Uniqlo
Ralph and Uniqlo really were by far the most mentioned, and I find it interesting that such different companies – in style, product, ownership, retail approach, marketing – can be so dominant. Why are there no other similar companies competing for the space?
The message from readers was just as consistent for Uniqlo as it was for Ralph Lauren – in this case it was: basics, basics, basics.
“Quality is decent for the price point, great basics.” “Dependable basics, also great for trying out new style/items for cheap before committing to higher-tier brands.” “Best affordable knitwear. Have several of their roll neck, merino V-necks, T-shirts etc.”
“We all must make embarrassing admissions from time to time, and this is mine: some of the best pieces I have come from Uniqlo. The dry hand, boxy fit, and beefy collar of the Uniqlo U cotton tees – delightful, I have six. The socks – the socks. And I’m unduly obsessed with the wide-fit Uniqlo U chinos.”
As soon as Uniqlo add some more design to their product – as with the Uniqlo U range – readers are interested in more than just basics. Although the socks do always get recommendations.
Buck Mason
If anyone is going to be the next big mainstream brand, it feels like it’s going to be Buck Mason. Names like J Crew get a mention, but only two or three times. Sid Mashburn gets less, and Todd Snyder only one.
It’s early days, but the comments about Buck Mason were almost universally positive. It feels like all the Buck Mason team needs is time to refine the offering and spread the word. The stores also get more mentions than almost any other brand.
“Accessible pricepoint, cool casualwear and a nice color palette. Also have had nothing but great in store experiences.” “They get my vote for mainstream brand – I like the combination of quality and affordable price. In addition, my experience shopping at their stores (both Boston and Brooklyn) was great. No high pressure tactics, but the associates still seemed both engaged and knowledgeable.”
Among other specific positives, readers mentioned the very wearable colour palette and the breadth of offering. The only negative was that some products came across better than others – also our experience. “I really like what Buck Mason are trying to do, but the few things I’ve tried haven’t quite worked for me in terms of fit and detailing,” said one reader.
Among the other brands in that category, it’s nice to see Sunspel ranking high – a sleeper brand in some ways, in that they do a lot of basics so lots of people wear it but it doesn’t get much hype.
Crockett’s is nice to have there too – and a reminder that they have 12 stores worldwide, so actually count as mainstream under our definition (10 stores or more).
Lemaire was a real surprise, and I’m putting it largely down to his design of the Uniqlo U line. I can see how the Lemaire aesthetic might appeal to the PS reader, but I would have thought someone like Studio Nicholson would be a better fit from a value point of view, and The Row (or of course Stoffa or Saman Amel) from a quality one.
Now, the best brand category…
Who is your favourite menswear brand?
- Rubato – 38
- Brycelands – 27
- Anglo-Italian – 25
- Drake’s – 14
- The Anthology – 12
- Iron Heart – 9
- The Real McCoy’s, Cordings, Anderson & Sheppard – 8
Rubato
On this list I’ll just focus on Rubato, as we’ve covered all the brands here so much over the years and there isn’t that much more to say.
The feedback on Rubato was surprisingly consistent in much the same way as on Ralph Lauren and Uniqlo – the thing PS readers like is the combination of quality and wearability.
“Maybe an unoriginal choice on PS, but I love the overall aesthetic, how things go together so easily, and, especially, the quality. Their chinos, shirts, etc. are expensive but feel like they will last a lifetime – like a combination of Japanese workwear ruggedness with a more refined look.”
“They seem to simply focus on making the best versions of clothing, it generally feels like a lot of thought has gone into every product. I was looking for a belt recently and hadn’t thought of Rubato at first, but when I did I saw they produce the best looking and best quality belts for a decent price IMO.”
It’s powerful combination this, that combination of taste level and quality. And unlike Buck Mason, which is more middle-of-the-road in its range, readers seem to like the Rubato take on more unusual colours and products: “The colour palette across their entire range of clothes is great (albeit some interesting colours in 2024).” “Got the varsity sweater recently – which strikes the perfect balance between modern and vintage.”
Among the other listings, I’m surprised that Bryceland’s (above) comes in just above Anglo-Italian (below), as I’m sure Anglo is worn by more people and they have more pieces – it’s just that kind of clothing. Drake’s is still up there, and appreciated, despite the flak it’s taken in recent years.
And Iron Heart is an interesting one. I’ve personally always preferred the McCoy’s pieces more, and had the impression that Iron Heart was a little too heavy and rugged in what it made. But coming this high makes me want to look again, and I know they have a UK operation that readers love.
As a general point for brands, it’s worth doing a search among the comments for your name, to pick up any feedback. I noticed one specific suggestion to Colhay’s about their website navigation, for instance.
Everyone else, I hope you enjoyed this year’s awards and found it interesting. Open to ideas about what we include next year.
