The Mystical Modern Cowboy World of Wythe
I think Wythe might be the most exciting, mystic-level brand out there right now and that's without even talking about their clothing.
I really enjoy fully reading into a brand’s website. If they’ve done their job correctly, it means that somewhere on the site you'll find some type of mission statement that perfectly summarizes what the brand is about. If you scroll to the bottom of Wythe’s homepage, you’ll read this:
I started Wythe searching for icons of the past — the perfect oxford shirt, an authentic denim pearl snap, the grey sweatshirt worn to perfection. These were all things that could be found in any shopping mall, but the soul of the garment had been ripped out. I wanted the oxford shirts that Miles Davis wore, the denim pearl snaps that James Dean wore, and the sweatshirts that Paul Newman wore.
This dream of a lost Americana became Wythe. The bygone heirlooms of the past, remade to fit well and last long enough to be passed down to the next generation of dreamers.
“The dream of a lost Americana became Wythe” stuck out to me. I think Wythe is doing a great job of referencing a lost Americana, sure. But I think they also might be doing something even better: creating a new Americana altogether.
One of my favorite sites that I frequent is Permanent Style, a site that’s opened my eyes to the sartorial menswear world and allowed me to appreciate companies and clothing items I’d usually stray away from. Last year they got to visit the Wythe store and did a great write up about it here; I recommend pausing to read it before you continue this post.
I’ve been following Wythe for a long time now and I remember seeing their kickstarter years ago (maybe 5-ish?). At the time, I didn’t really care for Oxford shirts, so I passed on it. Since then, they’ve gone from making a singular Oxford to making a broad range of goods, from shirts to pants to jackets and even footwear. It’s impressive to see how in a relatively short time, they’ve expanded into such a ‘full’ offering, a brand where you can pull a full outfit off using just their own pieces.
But it isn’t really the clothing that fascinates me as much as it is the image they’ve managed to create, the story they’ve been telling through their growth.
If you follow Michael or Peter on Instagram, you’ll soon see how Wythe seems to be more than a brand to them, a lifestyle. Over the last few weeks, I’ve seen their stories and posts and what stuck out to me the most was that beyond seeing the products, I kept thinking how naturally they’ve managed to show what their brand is about through how they live. For example: A week or two ago, one of them posted a dinner they were at with friends (who also seem to either work at Wythe, or are just really great at representing the brand in their day-to-day life, like Chase Winfrey), and they all seemed to be wearing something from Wythe. But here’s the thing: It didn’t look forced or planned for a post — it seemed like that's just what you do when you’re that closely related to Wythe & co, you represent the lifestyle that comes with it. It’s the modern cowboy in NYC look. It’s the dinner parties where everyone has great personal style. It’s friendship that seems genuine, and amongst different creative minds. Wythe is a clothing brand, sure, but it’s also starting to feel like it’s growing beyond being just a clothing brand. I had to ask myself a few times “Do I want to wear Wythe because of the products? Or do I want to wear Wythe because I want to live in a way that emulates the lifestyle they’ve managed to create? This new Americana?”
Even recently, before deciding to purchase the Drakes raglan, I was actually cross-shopping with Wythe’s version. Both coats are incredible, and both fit very similarly. The only real reason I opted for Drakes was because I tried the Wythe one on first and thought it fit too big — turns out balmacaan raglans are supposed to fit big. When I put on the Drakes one I figured that I might as well just commit to that one after wanting it for 3 years. But when you think about the comparison, you have Wythe, that’s been around for (less than?) 5 years, being compared to Drakes, that’s been around for almost 50 years and they were pretty damn close. Talk about punching up a few weight classes! You have this legendary legacy brand in Drakes, and Wythe is a relatively newcomer that can hold its own against them? That’s beyond impressive until you realize that they aren’t as different as they might seem.
Drakes has locked down the lifestyle idea; when you see their lookbooks, it makes you want to be a part of their inner circle — that’s the same feeling I get via the instagram stories from Wythe & co. Now I want to clarify, this is not me pleading to be invited into the inner circle, this is me acknowledging the power of a brand to create content that’s so compelling that it makes you wish that you already belonged to their inner circle & lifestyle. Many great brands have accomplished this, Ralph Lauren & LL Bean being two legacy brands that come to mind right away. But those two titans have been around for ages. Wythe is so young in age and already so ahead of where they should be at their current point in the brand’s life. Maybe it’s the power of social media where an instagram story can convey the same feeling that only ads in magazines could do in the past. Maybe it’s the fact that Michael and Peter both seem to know how to show just enough behind-the-scenes content to make you feel included in the process. Maybe it’s that their friend group champions the brand so organically and naturally in their own posts. I can do the maybe game over and over but I’ll still arrive at the same point: They’re doing something right.
If I had to make a defining statement on this (as a complete outsider to the industry) it would be that although they might be considered a ‘small’ brand today, I can see a future where Wythe is as big as a brand like Drakes.
For now, I think it’s one of my favorite brands to watch over social media. They’re fun, they’re different in what they’re producing, and for as much works as it is to build a company like this, they make it seem fun and are super involved in it. Even this week, someone of reddit posted a quality issue on a garment they purchased and almost instantly someone from Wythe reached out in the thread and responded with a solution. That is rare from any brand, but it just shows how much they care about building and scaling this the right way.
For now, all I can do is go to bed wondering if I should have purchased their raglan instead and begin to scheme on how I’ll trick my wife into letting me purchase one this year. [Update: She said ‘No.’ Oops.]
So proud of this article.