AMI, United Arrows and Kinfolk named GQ and Gap's Best New Menswear Designers

By

Obi Anyanwu

Published
May 30, 2017

Gap and GQ’s Best New Menswear Designer series has celebrated a bevy of American designers and brands over the years including Alexander Wang, Billy Reid, John Elliott, Todd Snyder and Steven Alan among others. This year the series is focusing its attention on international menswear designers, namely Alexandre Mattiussi of AMI, Jey Perie of Kinfolk, and Yasuto Kamoshita and Poggy of United Arrows.
 

Mattiusi launched AMI in 2010 after working at Dior and Givenchy. The French menswear brand is heralded for its “smart, comprehensive wardrobe” that includes casual and refined pieces. The success of AMI has led to Mattiusi becoming the first male designer to win the ANDAM Fashion Award in 2013.
 
Kinfolk Creative Director Jey Perie played an instrumental role in the event space/café’s venture into fashion. Founded in 2010, Kinfolk opened a store in Williamsburg offering its namesake label, as well as brands Carhartt WIP and Stone Island among others.

Perie was quoted by GQ saying, “Clothes are as much a part of our DNA as nightlife is. It's easier to sell a gin-and-tonic than a $1,000 jacket, but in terms of how we shine in the world, our clothing brand has a much bigger reach.”
 
Finally, Kamoshita and Poggy operate United Arrows & Sons in Japan and are responsible for a number of collaborations with brands such as ’47 Brand, Filling Pieces, and Chapter.
 
Much like the previous iterations, the four designers will create capsule collections with Gap that will launch in the fall.
 
The Best New Menswear Designer series celebrated its 10th anniversary in 2016 with special Gap capsule collections designed by BNMDA alums John Elliott, Michael Bastian, Steven Alan, and Saturdays Surf NYC. Gap and GQ first partnered for the series in 2012 with designers Mark McNairy, Todd Snyder, Ian Velardi, Blk Dnm, Ovadia & Sons and Saturdays Surf NYC.
 
Prior to the partnership, GQ partnered with Dockers and Bloomingdale’s in 2011, four years after the inaugural BNMDA series.