GQ Menswear Designers of the Year to Team up with Gap

Gap and GQ teamed up for a collection of menswear designed by the magazine’s six Best New Menswear Designers in America, which will hit select stores and online on September 27th. The six designers are: Johan Lindeberg’s BLK DNM, Ian Velardi, Mark McNairy New Amsterdam, Ariel and Shimon Ovadia of Ovadia & Sons, Saturdays NYC, and Todd Snyder.

With previous selections including such menswear favorites as Patrik Ervell and Gant by Michael Bastian, GQ has a well-tuned eye when it comes to dressing their target customers. This years range covers a healthy variety of styles – the downtown set will enjoy BLK Denim’s sartorial denim, Saturdays NYC already has a dedicated following for its minimal and sleek activewear, and Marc McNairy looks set to hit the sweet spot of military meets workwear influences. Increased exposure will serve these men well as they showcase their design savvy and individual aesthetics.

“From the very early stages of the design process, we knew this collection was going to be something our customers were drawn to,” said Mark Breitbard, head of merchandising for Gap North America. “These designers are shaping the future of menswear, and it’s an honor to bring their distinct visions to life in a way that complements Gap’s casual American point of view.”

Pieces include sportswear, denim, accessories and outerwear, and will range from $20-$350. The winners previewed a few of their styles at GQ’s launch party last night at New York’s Pier 40. Standout pieces are already emerging; BLK Denim has a sleek leather bomber jacket with removable mouton collar, camo print cargo pants from Mark McNairy, and a wool baseball cap from Saturdays with an ampersand logo designed exclusively for the collaboration.