While the physical mall—the capitalist mecca too many of us spent too many hours in our teen and pre-teen years before calling our parents collect to “HiComePickMeUpThanksBye!”—may be dying, mall brands feel more relevant than ever before.
From Abercrombie enjoying a renaissance with millennials to Victoria’s Secret retooling its runway show, the brands of our youth are doing their best to age gracefully with us.
And I for one am here for it. Despite annoying pushback on social media whenever we recommend a sweater from Banana Republic, or a pair of carpenter pants from Hollister, there’s more guys out there seeking clothes that are stylish and affordable, not high concept and expensive.
Why? A couple reasons:
1) Not everyone can spend a lot of money on clothes.
2) Not everyone wants to spend a lot of money on their clothes.
Yes, I am all for thrifting and buying quality products so you can own and wear them longer. I’m also cognizant of the fact that we live in a world where bidding over asking price on Grailed for the perfect pair of 34×30 Unis Gio Skinny chinos may not be realistic for every guy. That hitting up Gap for a new pair of work pants might be the best, most realistic option.
And I’m here to say, that’s a good option!
So, do what you want with the malls, but leave the brands alone.
