At the turn of the 20th century, Manhattan’s Lower East Side was the most densely populated place in the world — a census from 1900 counted over 1,000 people per acre in the 10th ward, which included much of the present-day neighborhood. (Today, the L.E.S. averages 135 people per acre.) The area, often considered to begin south of Houston Street and stretch west from the East River to the Bowery, has since seen its tenements and factories replaced with restaurants and bars. In recent years, it’s also emerged as a shopping district to rival Manhattan’s SoHo or Madison Avenue — though with its largely independent boutiques, it’s undeniably more charming. A wave of openings on and around Orchard Street, in particular, have solidified the area as a strong destination for men’s wear. Here’s where to start:
Kartik Research, 61 Orchard Street
The designer Kartik Kumra established his label, Kartik Research, in 2021 in his hometown, New Delhi, where the brand opened its first shop in 2024. Since April, Kumra’s embroidered camp shirts, quilted jackets and shibori-dyed button-ups have been available here, at his first U.S. outpost. Kumra collaborated with the Mumbai gallery Aequo to source the space’s furniture, including the dressing room’s woven bamboo panels.
Le Père, 90 Orchard Street
The New York-based men’s wear label Le Père was founded by a collective of friends from the music and fashion industries in 2022 as a vehicle for artistic collaborations. Past collections have featured shirts printed with imagery by the photographer Duane Michals, the graphic designer Henock Sileshi and the artist Ema Gaspar. The brand opened a yellow-accented retail space on the corner of Orchard and Broome Streets in 2023, where it sells its striped soccer jerseys and knit pullover sweatshirts alongside cargo pants and layered shirting.
Colbo, 51 Orchard Street
You might smell Colbo before you see it: The store, which opened in late 2021, sells coffee by the Los Angeles-based roastery Maru in addition to a roster of hard-to-find men’s wear brands and a curated selection of vintage records. Pieces on offer might include naturally dyed button-up shirts from the Japanese designer Yoko Sakamoto, silk track shorts from the London-based brand Cawley and tailored twill trousers from the Dutch designer Camiel Fortgens. Colbo also stocks its in-house label, which consists of wardrobe staples like polo shirts and raglan parkas in a mostly earth-toned palette. On July 10, the brand will launch its first footwear collaboration, with the American shoemaker Sperry.
Bode Fine Tailoring, 54 Hester Street
Bode has become a pillar of the New York’s men’s wear scene since it was founded by the designer Emily Adams Bode Aujla in 2016. The brand’s first shop opened on Hester Street in 2019, and a dedicated space for bespoke tailoring soon followed on Canal Street. This spring, the appointment-only made-to-measure salon moved next door to Bode’s original Hester location. Bolts of wool, tweed and cotton suiting fabrics line the slatted walls beneath vintage portraits of wirehaired pointing griffons (the same breed as Adams Bode Aujla’s dogs, Monday and Tuesday). One-of-a-kind Bode pieces are also available, displayed among furniture and lighting fixtures made from vintage bottles by the New York-based design firm Green River Project, which was co-founded by Adams Bode Aujla’s husband, Aaron Singh Aujla.
Essx, 140 Essex Street
The sprawling men’s wear store Essx opened in July 2023, its name a reference to its Essex Street address. The minimalist 7,000-square-foot interior was designed by the local architecture firm Leong Leong in partnership with the fashion designer Yossi Shetrit, whose rock ’n’ roll-inspired line, Yossi Corp. (think shredded jeans and tees), is stocked exclusively at the store. Other brands include the more well-known Maison Margiela and Comme des Garçons as well as up-and-coming designers like Madrid’s Edward Cuming, who makes asymmetrically patchworked jeans and button-ups, and the Swiss label Prototypes, which sells reworked tracksuits and soccer jerseys. This summer, Essx will hold dominoes tournaments in its new cafe on Saturday afternoons.
Jameson Montgomery is a fashion assistant at T Magazine.
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