20 Tried-and-True Clothing Brands to Build Your Wardrobe From Scratch

Whether you’re a seasoned fashion vet or rolling up fresh-faced to the menswear table, basics are the foundation of every great wardrobe. Sure, it’s incumbent on the best men’s clothing brands to push the envelope to new limits, but before you get there, you need to start from square one. And honestly, we GQ editors probably spend more time focusing on our wardrobe fundamentals—plain white tees, the perfect bodega-run sweatshirt, a roomy pair of chinos—than we actually do experimenting with new looks.

Tees, sweatshirts, slacks, underwear: These are the mitochondria of your wardrobe’s cells, the powerhouses that keep your style stable season to season, year after year. They’re also the styles that just about every brand makes, which can make choosing the right basics supplier for yourself a maddening experience. To help, we gathered the best men’s clothing brands to stock up on right now—20 labels that consistently deliver unbeatable value, craftsmanship, and versatility.

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The Wardrobe Basics We Like Best

Abercrombie & Fitch

There’s something of a formula to how Abercrombie has been getting its basics so right: classic staples are imbued with a bit of volume and a dash of archive inspiration, and everything clocks in at prices that won’t make you blanche. These days, Abercrombie’s clothes feel nostalgically like how mall brand clothes used to feel—substantial and well-made, yet easy to wear from day one. This all adds up to mean that you can easily turn to Abercrombie and Fitch to build the foundation of your whole wardrobe, or just use certain pieces as spackle to cover up some of your existing closet gaps.

Alex Mill

From classic chinos to crewneck sweaters, everything at Alex Mill has a relaxed ease that’s seen it succeed even more in 2025. (You’ll simply feel less stressed upon contact.) The brand’s overall aesthetic leans preppy but has a clear love for hardwearing vintage staples like beefy flannel shirts and tough chore coats. It also pays close attention to how the items feel in your hands.

Banana Republic

With the Bananassaince in full swing, there’s never been a better time to load up on BR’s rustic, archive-indebted hits. Stuff your cart with plush knits, soft tees, and airy boxers. (The jeans are a standout, too.)

Buck Mason

Los Angeles brand Buck Mason made our best white T-shirts, best black T-shirts, and Best Colorful T-Shirts lists. There’s a cut, weight, and price point trifecta happening here that is simply magic—and ever since the label expanded its remit to include a full line of menswear, its tees might be the least exciting thing it has going on.

Calvin Klein

It pays to invest in your underwear. But you don’t need to spring for the highest-end luxury undies when there are some great value options. The best among them has to be Calvin Klein, who revolutionized men’s underwear with perfectly-fitting underwear and risqué ad campaigns. His boxer briefs have been among our favorites for years, but don’t sleep on his undershirts, either.

CDLP

Reigning from Sweden, CDLP makes some of the finest underwear and daily basics we’ve ever tested. It all comes down to the fit and fabric choices, which are at once luxurious to the touch and built for the long haul.

Champion

Champion got it famously right when it invented its durable, shrink-proof, reverse weave fabric in the 1930s. The brand has been putting out some of the industry’s best chill-out gear for the almost-century since, and shows no signs of slowing down.

Everlane

There was a moment at the GQ offices recently when we realized that Everlane had not only refreshed its whole appearance, but also returned with a whole host of really great clothes. The brand that had a chokehold on our basics in the 2010s is back in town, and we’re delighted to see them.

Everybody.World

If you love fresh-outta-the-box tees but want to indulge consciously, Everybody.World makes deeply excellent T-shirts (and hoodies, and sweatpants) using 100% recycled fabrics and ethical labor practices.

Gap

Oh, you thought there was a chance Gap wouldn’t be in this story? That’s funny. The brand that made incredible basics (and incredible playlists) in the 1990s is still today delivering its affordable takes on the elevated good life. And judging by how often one of our colleagues comes in boasting about their fresh Gap find, we’d say they’re doing an excellent job at that.

J.Crew

J.Crew is well past its early-2010s heyday of Italian blazers, selvedge jeans, and loafers, but under the direction of streetwear royalty Brendon Babenzien it remains the best place to find quintessential preppy staples at prices that belie the quality involved. The brand still makes some great suiting, but its East Coast history means you can also sink into some sumptuous sweaters and hardy slacks.

Lady White Co.

A GQ staffer favorite, Lady White Co.’s tees are made in LA from high-quality ring-spun cotton and come in strangely hard-to-find colors like sand and rose. FWIW, the sweats also kill.

Levi’s

Levi’s makes a whole lot of clothes that are the opposite of basic—think: pearl-snap Western shirts—but, c’mon, no one makes more consistent jeans and denim jackets. And just because it invented the 501, that doesn’t mean it isn’t constantly perfecting its line further—from slightly more relaxed jeans to runway-ready denim jackets.

L.L.Bean

Dads love a deal, and dads love L.L.Bean. That affection is largely due to the unbeatable value proposition the brand offers on gear your old man wears on the daily, from top-tier flannel shirts, to surprisingly sturdy denim, and snug shawl-collar cardigans. Be more like your dad.

Merz B. Schwanen

If you’ve paid any attention to television, you’ve no doubt heard of Merz B. Schwanen because of The Bear. But the German label had already been known by the menswear illuminati for next-level T-shirts and sweatshirts knit on ultra rare loopwheel machines.

Nike

Nike needs no introduction. The biggest clothing company in the world made its name putting athletics first, but the brand’s impact in the clothing arena extends far beyond its reputation for record-breaking performance gear. From comfortable tees to plush sneakers and simple sweats, there’s a reason the streets on your city are lined with swooshes: Nike is affordable, comfortable, and—don’t deny it—makes everyone feel like a bit more of an athlete when they wear it. These are the basics to grab, though you might own them already.

Reigning Champ

The Canadian label makes one of our favorite heavy-duty hoodies of all time, but all of their designs are worthy of your time. With top-shelf fabric, god-tier construction, and impeccable fits, few other brands take loungewear as seriously as Reigning Champ does.

Russell Athletic

You can’t put together a list of the best basics without Russell Athletic, the literal inventor of the sweatshirt. And unlike most brands who get the honor of being “first,” they haven’t used it to jack up their prices.

Todd Snyder

Todd Snyder‘s basics are so sophisticated, even his weekend clothes and Champion sweats are nice enough to wear to dinner. The designer darling of the menswear world has an unrivaled CV which includes stints at Ralph Lauren and J.Crew, which helped him master the modern dude’s wardrobe from head to toe. And yes, that includes impeccable suiting, boss-level coats, and Japanese denim, but also all of the things the modern dude wears on a lazy Sunday.

Uniqlo

Come for the Christophe Lemaire-designed pants or the ridiculously warm puffers, but don’t leave without a stack of ribbed socks and soft cotton boxers—a.k.a. the real prize of shopping at Uniqlo. The brand offers some of the best style for your buck in the industry—its button-ups are well-crafted, the raw denim jeans are consistently some of the best for the price, but you can also always bet on a fresh supply of basics waiting to meet you when you walk in.