15 Luxury Brands Making The Finest Men’s Wardrobe Essentials

It’s impossible to build something brilliant without first laying a solid foundation. That’s why a selection of high-quality essentials is such an integral part of any well-dressed man’s clothing collection. Simple pieces like T-shirts, polos, button-downs and knitwear set the framework for a well-crafted minimalist wardrobe, subtly elevating your looks while letting bolder, statement pieces take centre stage.

Nailing these essentials means buying right, and buying right means knowing where to spend your money. Many brands make essentials, but not all of them do it with the same refinement, attention to detail and commitment to quality as the ones you’ll find below.

These labels strive to take your wardrobe to the next level through the medium of those bread-and-butter pieces – the staple garments you can’t live without, executed with precision using premium materials and craftsmanship. We believe they’re the best luxury essentials brands in the world today.

Luca Faloni

Best For: Knitwear

A cashmere sweater is the definition of a premium essential. It’s versatile, completely timeless and oozes luxury. If you’re in the market for one, or anything made of cashmere for that matter, we’d urge you to take a look at Luca Faloni, an Italian brand that knows a thing or two about knitwear’s fanciest fabric.

Whether it’s a knitted polo, a chunky cardigan or a fine-gauge turtleneck, all of Luca Faloni’s garments are crafted in Italy using traditional techniques, and while prices are still unmistakeable premium, they’re much more affordable than those of some of the other big names in Italian knitwear.

Shop now at Luca Faloni

Velasca

Best For: Handmade Footwear

Direct-to-consumer brand Velasca is all about making the best possible shoes with the lowest possible price tag. All of the label’s models are handcrafted by highly skilled artisans in Italy’s shoemaking capital, Marche, and feature the quality and attention to detail you’d expect from footwear coming out of the region.

Velasca’s Derby shoes, in particular, are pretty special. The Cumenda, for example, is a classic black design that’ll go with almost anything and never date. It’s crafted from beautifully smooth calfskin leather and put together in Italy using a blake-rapid construction for easy resoling.

Shop now at Velasca

James Perse

Best For: Casual Pieces

Casual luxury is a peculiar concept, but if you want to know what it looks like, go and check out what James Perse has been doing for the past for the last 20 odd years. The American brand makes simple wardrobe staples that blend laid-back, off-duty looks with an air of indulgence that makes for some of the finest basics around.

To get a measure of the brand, we’d suggest checking out the T-shirts – they’re made in the USA from the best lightweight jersey cotton and have a well-earned reputation as some of the best tees in the game.

Shop now at James Perse

Sunspel

Best For: Tees & Sweats

When it comes to British basics, there’s no better brand than Sunspel. The brand makes everything from sweatshirts to socks, but it’s the T-shirts that really steal the show. Yes, they’re at the top end of the price scale, but they’re also the best in the game, boasting luxuriously soft cotton, a flawless fit and perfect proportions.

The hunt for the perfect plain tee can feel eternal, that is until you finally and inevitably end up settling on one of Sunspel’s.

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ASKET

Best For: Everyday Staples

ASKET doesn’t do hype, seasonal gimmicks or logo-heavy nonsense. Instead, the Swedish brand focuses on the clothes most men actually wear: T-shirts, Oxford shirts, overshirts, knitwear, sweats, denim and chinos, all stripped back, refined and designed to slot into your wardrobe without fuss.

The appeal lies in how considered everything feels. Fabrics are chosen carefully, fits are clean but not severe, and many pieces are available in multiple lengths, which is a small detail that makes a big difference if you’ve ever found a T-shirt that fits in the chest but hangs like a nightshirt.

ASKET is less about dressing up and more about making your daily uniform better. The sort of brand that quietly improves your wardrobe from the inside out.

Shop now at ASKET

Incotex

Best For: Legwear

You can always count on the Italians when it comes to luxury essentials, and Incotex is further proof of that. The brand specialises in premium legwear – its chinos in particular are some of the best you can buy.

The brand works with beautiful Italian fabrics to make exceptional trousers that do it all. It also applies the same concept to shorts, so that your legs can look the part in the warmer months too.

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Reigning Champ

Best For: Sportswear

Canada’s Reigning Champ has been at the forefront of the athleisure movement since before there was even a name for it. It’s one of the few brands in the world that has its own cut-and-sew factory, and the design knowhow of its founders has attracted collaborations with the likes of New Era, Adidas, Asics and Converse.

The company is known for its upscale take on classic athletic garments like jersey sweatshirts, hoodies and sweatpants and it has long been our first port of call for high-end sportswear.

Shop now at Reigning Champ

Loro Piana

Best For: The World’s Finest Materials

Loro Piana is probably the biggest name there is when it comes to luxury materials. The historic brand is the largest processor of cashmere on the planet, importing exotic yarn from all over the world and supplying garments to some of the most esteemed fashion houses in existence.

In spite of all this, it still has time to produce its own line of indulgent knitwear and accessories, including staple items like cashmere sweaters and scarves.

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Ettinger

Best For: Leather Accessories

The small things matter. A wallet, cardholder or belt might not be the loudest part of an outfit, but get them wrong and they have a nasty habit of cheapening everything around them. Get them right, though, and they bring the sort of quiet polish that only proper leather goods can.

Ettinger is one of the best names in the business. Founded in 1934, the British brand makes refined leather accessories with a focus on traditional craft, rich colour and the sort of quality that should improve rather than deteriorate with age. Its wallets, cardholders, wash bags and travel pieces are smart without being showy, which is exactly where luxury essentials should sit.

Think of it as the difference between pulling a battered old wallet from your pocket and producing something that suggests you might, just might, have your life together.

Shop now at Ettinger

Bennett Winch

Best For: Luxury Bags

A good bag should do two things: carry what you need and make you look like the sort of man who has packed properly. Bennett Winch understands this better than most.

The British brand makes luxury luggage and accessories with a sharp, practical eye. Its range includes weekenders, briefcases, backpacks, totes, wash bags, watch rolls and garment carriers, all designed for men who want fewer, better things rather than a cupboard full of flimsy nylon regret.

The pieces are handsome, durable and quietly masculine, with just enough polish for business travel and enough practicality for everything else. The Weekender is the headline act, but the whole range has that rare quality of feeling both useful and indulgent.

Shop now at Bennett Winch

orSlow

Best For: Denim

Jeans are one of the great menswear essentials, but not all denim is created equal. The best pairs don’t shout. They fit well, wear hard and slowly become your own through creases, fades and the usual punishment of everyday life.

Japanese brand orSlow has built its reputation on that idea. Founded by Ichiro Nakatsu, the label takes inspiration from vintage American workwear and military clothing, then reworks those references through a distinctly Japanese lens. The result is denim, fatigue pants, shirts and jackets that feel familiar but better considered.

Its jeans are the main draw: beautifully made, easy to wear and built with the sort of care that denim obsessives notice immediately. Even if you’re not the kind of man who talks about selvedge at dinner, you’ll understand the appeal the moment you put them on.

Shop now at MR PORTER

John Smedley

Best For: Fine Knitwear

There are few menswear pieces more useful than a fine-gauge knit. Wear one with tailoring and it looks polished. Wear one with jeans and it looks considered. Wear one under a jacket and it does the work of a shirt without the office energy.

John Smedley has been making some of the best in the world for generations. The Derbyshire brand is known for beautifully refined knitwear in materials such as Sea Island cotton, merino wool and cashmere, with everything from knitted polos and crew necks to cardigans and lightweight jumpers forming part of its core offer.

It’s British knitwear at its most elegant: slim but not skinny, luxurious but not flashy, and just about as timeless as clothing gets.

Shop now at MR PORTER

Derek Rose

Best For: Underwear & Loungewear

Dressing well doesn’t have to stop the second you get through the front door. We’re not suggesting you need to wear tailoring to watch a box set, but there is something to be said for upgrading the clothes you spend your downtime in.

Derek Rose has been making luxury underwear, pyjamas and loungewear since 1926, and it shows. The British brand specialises in the sort of pieces that make staying in feel like an occasion: soft jersey lounge trousers, handsome robes, beautifully cut boxers, cashmere layers and pyjama sets that are a long way from the threadbare T-shirt-and-joggers combination most men rely on.

It’s indulgent, yes, but in a useful way. These are clothes designed for the hours when comfort matters most, and once he’s worn them, going back to anything else will feel like a personal downgrade.

Shop now at Derek Rose

Private White V.C.

Best For: Outerwear & Workwear

Some brands make clothes that look good on a rail. Private White V.C. makes clothes that look like they could survive a decade of actual use, which is far more impressive.

Based in Manchester, the British label specialises in outerwear and utility-led staples with real substance: waxed jackets, overshirts, bombers, field jackets, chore coats and heavyweight layers built with a reassuring sense of purpose. The designs borrow from military and workwear traditions, but the execution is sharper, cleaner and much more refined.

It’s luxury without the preciousness. The sort of kit you can wear hard, wear often and still expect to look better five years from now than it did on day one.

Shop now at Private White V.C.

Orlebar Brown

Best For: Resortwear

Holiday clothes are easy to get wrong. Too plain and they feel dull. Too loud and you look like you’ve been dressed by the hotel entertainment team. Orlebar Brown occupies the sweet spot between the two, making resortwear that feels relaxed, polished and grown-up.

The brand built its name on tailored swim shorts, the sort you can wear from pool to bar without looking like you’ve forgotten to get changed, but its world now stretches much further. Linen shirts, polos, towelling layers, smart-casual trousers and lightweight jackets all sit neatly within the same sun-ready universe.

This is resortwear for men who want to look sharp on holiday without appearing to have tried too hard. Which, as any well-dressed man knows, is the whole point.

Shop now at Orlebar Brown