GIFTS FOR HIM

Mate, dad, brother, significant other; he’s almost definitely the hardest person to buy for because he either knows exactly what he wants or has absolutely no idea what he wants. The former is arguably the worst. He’s been trying to tell you about why you just don’t get it, the garment-dyeing process means each of those Stone Island jackets is totally unique. The latter might be a bit of an enigma, but at least when all doors are left open, you just have to narrow down the right ones. Hey, maybe you even want to secure something for yourself—that’s justified and don’t let anyone tell you it’s not. 

To make everything as simple as possible, we’ve broken our gift suggestions down into groups, so if you know what he likes to do (which, if you’ve got this far, you should) then you’re about to find out what he wants. Whether it’s sneakers, fashion, homeware, or grooming, the key to a good gift is to show that you see them; You know what they’re interested in, the brands they wear, and the things they might not have discovered yet. Keep scrolling and bag a gift that will have him saying: “Wait, these are the exact taped seams I was talking about. How did you know?”

Archivist

If the man in your life sees treasure where others see a jumbled rack of vintage flannels, if he’s ever uttered the phrase “They just don’t make them like this anymore”, if he searches high and low for a grey sweatshirt that has raglan sleeves because it’s a difference maker, then you might be dealing with an archivist. 

This guy values heritage above all else; where a garment came from in a historical and cultural sense is just as important as the quality of the piece itself, because he knows that both of those things so often go hand in hand. Look to brands with history, from the Americana classicism of Ralph Lauren and Visvim to the waxy tradition of Barbour or newcomers in FrizmWORKS and PITTARI, each of our selections nods to a proud style history but feels bang in line with today’s wardrobe.

Away-Day Specialist

When was the last time you managed to lock in a plan with this guy on a Saturday afternoon outside of the international break? If your answer to that question is that you categorically can’t, unless you’re hitting the terraces for a cup of Bovril or firing up the dodgy stick at home, then you’re buying for the Away-Day Specialist. This guy listens to podcasts and checks stats before picking his Fantasy team, de-badges his Stone Island, and probably had a movie poster of The Business on his bedroom wall as a teenager. 

The world of football fandom is a deep and complex culture. A specific year of adidas SPZL jacket speaks volumes to him, so when he unwraps a gift that he’d actually have bought himself, it’ll mean all the more. Picks from C.P. Company and Stone Island are guaranteed wins, while pieces like the Umbro x Slam Jam jacket are niche enough to have him wondering where you found out about it—the ultimate co-sign.

Minimalist

To the untrained eye, minimalism seems simple. For the minimalist, though, there’s an intricate and long-studied equation at play: form, function, colour, proportion. No you can’t just buy him any white T-shirt, don’t be so silly; He only wears a slightly boxy, 180gsm organic cotton white tee with a ribbed crewneck. This kind of exactitude extends to literally every aspect of his wardrobe: jumpers, shirts, outerwear, and don’t even get him started on trousers. 

This level of knowledge makes buying for a minimalist very tough without guidance. So here’s the lowdown: Common Projects are coming back after several years of menswear exile, the private equity guys have got bored of them to the great joy of minimalists everywhere. Names like mfpen are the thinking man’s minimalists, with interesting fabric choices that never veer too loud. The new era of minimalism rests on names like our own in-house END. LABEL, Sage Nation, and Studio Nicholson, who put a razor sharp focus on letting proportion do the heavy lifting. Shop our picks below.

Box Collector

Rule one of knowing a sneakerhead: never ask the sneakerhead why he keeps the boxes. The box collector does not live by the same rules as you do, a pair of shoes is never just a pair of shoes; it’s a story, complete with spare laces, a box, and sometimes even a dust bag. 

With so much weight placed on context, the sneakerhead doesn’t just want a random pair, he wants something with meaning. Whether that’s a pillar of modern sneaker culture like the New Balance 992 or Nike Air Force 1 Low Triple White or something that’s leading the current conversation such as one of Saucony’s cult Progrid silhouettes or a sought-after Vans Old Skool 36, our picks represent the best and most versatile options right now.

Weekend Hiker

The guy who used to be the last to leave the club? Chances are that nowadays he spends most of his free time at the top of a mountain, bikepacking, and frequenting the UK’s most niche national parks. Does he love the outdoors or does he just love buying new gear? Nobody really knows, but the fact is that it’s obvious what he wants for Christmas. Gear.

Luckily, these days, there’s a growing stable of brands making apparel and footwear with serious outdoor specs that actually looks really good, too. Look no further than Salomon’s XT-6 for proof that function is fashion now. For the less logo-inclined weekend hiker, Diemme’s combination of Italian bootmaking heritage and modern design cues is hard to beat, while more traditional styles from Ronning and Jacques Soloviere keep things low-key and easy to style off the mountain, too.

Investor

So you think you might be buying for an investor? There are a few easy ways to confirm your suspicions. Has he ever tried to explain the concept of cost-per-wear to you? Maybe he’s justified a jacket purchase by saying that he’ll never have to replace it so it makes financial sense. If, at any point in time, he has told you that a garment will only get better with age, then you are correct: he’s an investor.

This does not simply mean that he likes expensive clothing, it means that he researches his purchases with a level of enthusiasm and scientific studiousness. He knows how many stitches-per-inch a shirt should have to warrant its price tag, he’s a garment-dyeing evangelist, and he can’t be fooled by marketing jargon. Auralee is a safe bet here, it’s his favourite designer’s favourite designer. Denim has been an Acne Studios signature for years for good reason and the latest season’s dyeing techniques will keep him happily occupied. Elsewhere, picks from Junya Watanabe and Kaptain Sunshine offer the perfect dose of IYKYK Japanese mastery.