CALIFORNIA HENLEY SHIRTS

Kanan: Los Angeles-based Kanan does more than any wide-distribution clothing designer/manufacture that I’ve found that employs Californians to make California clothes out of California materials.  Kanan’s luxury-quality t-shirt fabric is made from California cotton.  The zippers for their hoodies are manufactured in Los Angeles.  I own an ever-growing collection of Kanan t-shirts – they are my favorite t-shirt brand, by a wide margin.  I do not yet own one of Kanan’s Henleys, but I’m betting that they are top shelf.     

 

Patagonia: With Ventura-based Patagonia, you get what you pay for.  What you pay is a lot.  What you get is exactly what you want.  Patagonia’s gear and clothing looks great, it works perfectly, and it is manufactured as ethically and sustainably as reasonably possible.  I do not wear Henley shirts.  But I do own a broad cross-section Patagonia clothing and gear, all of which may very well last me forever. 

Volcom: Orange County-based Volcom is a one-stop shop for skater/surfer/snowboarder fashion, from Henleys to board shorts to two-piece suits.  Because they target skaters – who shred clothes quickly, no matter how high quality – I did not expect Volcom to put much effort into the second-thing-to-go elements of clothing construction.  After all, why double-stitch a garment that’s going to be rags within weeks regardless?  But I was pleasantly surprised.  A few years back, I bought a Volcom button-up. It was a good purchase.  The shirt had a clean silhouette, but with slightly skewed seams that bent people’s eyes just enough to prevent them from looking past me.  And – because I do not lead a tear-through-fabric lifestyle – it lasted for years.

Vaktare, M.G.: Los Angeles-based Vaktare, M.G. makes gorgeous, motorcycling-inspired coats and jackets.  If you, like me, cannot afford such coats and jackets, then they also make a Henley. 

American Giant: San Francisco-based American Giant claims to make The Perfect Hoodie.  I bought one.  It is.  They also make Henleys.

Mountain Hardwear: Richmond-based Mountain Hardware has been my go-to supplier for camping-and-backpacking clothing and gear for more than a decade.  They also make Henley shirts, which probably are of high quality, and which look nice, in an a-backpacking-company-made-this sort of way.