Grungy Gentleman Fall 2020

New York Fashion Week: Mens (NYFWM) is now a sad reflection of what it aspired to be. Originally, it was launched to lure back well-known menswear brands—John Varvatos, Tommy Hilfiger, Calvin Klein, Y3, and others—back to the US fashion week market. Initially, it was successful, but it didn’t take long for NYFWM to lose steam and now it is just a shadow of what it could have been, but never was.

Though NYFWM is a shadow of what it was, there are some menswear brands that continue to present during NYFWM. Grungy Gentleman—in its 12^th season—is one such brand.

Grungy Gentleman’s creative director Jace Epstein continues to soldier on, making NYFWM one of the highlights of its season. Very little has changed with the brand since its inception. Always catering to sports-centered male consumers, Epstein, season after season attempts some unique design aesthetic into what is mostly jogging suits, hoodies and workout gear.

This season Epstein combined his sportwear aesthetic with leopard print and geometric shapes. Grungy Gentleman’s signature athletic stripes were front and center in this collection, ingeniously placed on sleeves, trouser legs, and jacket exteriors.

Though Epstein came up with some interesting fabric combinations and patterns this season, which helped elevate the collection beyond typical men’s athleisure wear, the collection as a whole is mostly athletic wear in very familiar silhouettes. But, athleisure wear for the very stylish male.

—William S. Gooch