Brand Spotlight - Hucklebury

First off, sorry for the radio silence coming from the blog for the past week or so, I was off gallivanting around Colorado with my girlfriend (and, more importantly, celebrating her brother's wedding). But now I'm back! While I was out of town, I was introduced to the co-founder of Hucklebury, Parag, through a mutual friend. Hucklebury has a Kickstarter campaign running and they reached out to me for help spreading the word. I've heard of Hucklebury before, and they have a solid reputation in the menswear industry. We e-mailed back and forth over the weekend and chatted on the phone yesterday, and while I haven't gotten to try one of their shirts out yet, I'm loving what I'm hearing and am happy to help him get the word out.

Parag is going to be sending me a sample shirt in the next few weeks so that I can do an in-person review, but these Kickstarter campaigns don't wait around, so I'm throwing a introduction your way now. Before even having a shirt in hand, there's a lot to love about Hucklebury:

1. All of their products are 100% Made-In-America. For me, this is a huge deal. Not only does this almost always mean higher quality standards, but in today's day and age the availability of 'ethical' businesses and brands, there isn't really an excuse for failing to be an 'ethical' shopper.
   
   Buying goods made in the U.S. ensures that proper labor conditions are met and pumps money back into our own economy (which is good for all of us). This isn't always easy for companies to do, and usually comes with a higher overhead attached, so it's always impressive to see companies taking the made-in-America route instead of opting for an easier, cheaper alternative.


2. Similar to brands like Frank and Oak, Everlane, Gustin and Warby Parker, Hucklebury has adopted a top-to-bottom business model that cuts out all of the middlemen traditionally associated with apparel retail. If you ask me, this business model is the future of the fashion world. With the Internet at your fingertips the need for brick-and-mortar stores has become largely irrelevant, and by avoiding all of those in-between steps, Hucklebury is able to offer their high quality (made-in-America) goods at a helluva good price. They explain it best themselves via the following infographic:



3. And that's the real kicker. Hucklebury is all about cutting the cost to the consumer without cutting the quality of their goods. Their shirts are made from the finest Egyptian cotton, which usually is only available at price points that make the every-day man cringe. Not here. Only $78 gets you a shirt that promises to be as soft and comfortable as the sheets at the Ritz. It's practices like this that make the recent revival of men's style possible by making these high-quality, stylish clothes available to guys who aren't driving around in a Benz (yep, name-dropping like Hov).


4. Lastly, some Kickstarter campaigns seem like a thrown-together-at-the-last-minute whim of their creators, but Parag (co-founder of Hucklebury) has grown up in the biz, and I think it's safe to say this isn't just a passing interest or a brand that's going to fall off your radar anytime soon.


5. Icing on the cake: The shirts are darn stylish, with a wide variety of ginghams (my favorite) and stripes in your choice of spread or button-down collars.

   

   Great fall colors! 

   Each shirt is only $78 (as mentioned), is accompanied by a 365 day guaranty. This is pretty unheard of in the apparel industry, and not only shows their dedication to customer satisfaction, but also their confidence in the quality of their products. On top of all that, each shirt purchased through the Kickstarter campaign comes with a $20 subscription to our friends, The Tie Society (check out our review of their awesome services here).
   

Now, of course, without a shirt in hand, I can't personally say anything about the fit or feel of the shirts, but the word on the net is extremely positive. Sabir Peele of Men's Style Pro gives a rave review on his blog, and my friends in the industry have been just as enthusiastic. I personally can't wait to get my hands on one myself, at which point I'll give you the full low-down. So go ahead, get in on the ground floor, support a responsible company and get your hands on a great shirt! Check out their Kickstarter for all the info I didn't give, as well as options to contribute.