Amazon is now making its own private label clothes

Amazon’s New Men’s Brands: Franklin Tailored | Franklin & Freeman

For the longest time, Amazon sold just about everything. Almost. It was their fashion side that seemed to have a few holes in it. Sure they had their high end, designer driven East Dane website. But on Amazon’s main site? They had clothes… but a lot of it seemed to be… lacking.

Looks like they’re now trying to fill that hole with their own, in-house brands. They’ve quietly launched seven new brands, with almost two thousand new products. Here’s a breakdown of what brand offers what:

Franklin & Freeman (Men’s shoes)
Franklin Tailored (Men’s clothes, dressed up stuff)
James & Erin (Women’s Casual Clothes)
Lark & Ro (Women’s clothing, kinda dressed up?)
North Eleven (Women’s outerwear/accessories)
Scout + Ro (Kids Clothes)
Society New York (Women’s Dresses, Purses, Accessories)

So for us fellas, it’s the “Franklin” brands worth paying attention to. But since it’s Amazon, there’s lots of sifting to do. Here’s a quick look at some of the best looking of what they’re offering from the jump. Yes, we will be doing in-person reviews of this stuff. But for now, here’s the first look at a few items from their new brands. And the prices? The prices are very much in the “afforable” realm.

Franklin & Freeman “Sanders” Chelsea in Suede – $65.97

Well then. Those are inexpensive. The description says these are “waxy” suede… so, there’s a bit of hesitation there, but overall? Huge potential. Just hoping that any burnishing doesn’t get out of control like the H&M suede chelseas from not that far back.

Franklin Tailored Wool Suit in Sharkskin – $259.97 or Birdseye – $281.97

Not a ton of information on the product pages yet, but they do say “wool” and not wool blend. They also say these are “classic fit” with a 7″ drop (so if you order a 40R, you’ll get a 33″ pant… 40 – 7 = 33). Lapels don’t look too skinny… button stance seems neither high nor low. And the jacket tails, from this side of the interwebs, don’t look chopped. Could be an affordable, basic starter suit?

Franklin & Freeman “Clark” Single Monk Strap – $53.97

Certainly looks like a single monk that would be placed under DSW’s “Aston Grey” house brand, or, branded as a Joseph Abboud product. Nice placement of the buckle. And single monks are super easy to wear. Also available in black.

Franklin Tailored Micro Neat Triton Sportcoat – $197.97

No mention of the word “wool” anywhere… or any mention of any other fabric composition either. Again, these brands are super new, and we might be looking in on the earliest developments of how they’re going to set up the descriptions on the page. Gotta assume it is wool though?

Franklin and Freeman “Mitchell” Chelsea in Brown or Black – $65.97

Cheap suede almost always trumps cheap, smooth leather. But there are some exceptions to that rule. Will these be an exception? At this price? Got a pair in the brown on the way.

Franklin Tailored Navy Glen Plaid Suit – $247.97

Glen Plaid? Or is it just a windowpane? It can be tough to tell from here (it’d be nice if Amazon offered a few more zoom options to their suiting fabrics as these brands move along…). Either way, it shows that they’re willing to experiment with patterns, and not just the usual solids and pin-stripes.

Franklin Tailored Nappa Snap Closure Gloves – $65.97

Wasn’t expecting gloves. We’re almost out of glove season, but still. Nice to see they’re going with designs that are something other than the normal, triple stitch tops (which you can find anywhere).

F. Tailored Wool Trousers in Nailhead or Houndstooth Flannel – $80ish

Looks like direct competition to the well loved Lands’ End Year’rounder as well as their seasonal flannel offerings. LE might easily come out ahead here, since they run sales a ton and offer free hemming.

Franklin & Freeman Baker Wingtip Boot in Grain Leather – $61.97

Nice. A grain pattern like that is usually something cheap shoes won’t try and tackle. Looks pretty darn good on a wingtip boot.

F. Tailored Velvet Jacket in Navy, Burgundy, or Black – $171 – $200ish

Velvet dinner jacket season seems to have come and gone for this year… but… one thing worth pointing out is the tag on the black option. It seems to say “Made in Canada.” … Really?

Franklin & Freeman Suede Double Monk – $71.97

This new shoe brand sure is pretty style forward (some of us are just fine with that). Chelseas? Double Monks? Single Monks? Wingtip boots? Good grief. Also, what are the chances that some other house brands (say, DSW’s Aston Grey) has some similar, if not exactly the same styles lurking about?

Franklin Tailored Blue Sharkskin Suit – $247.97

Another blue wool suit option. Doesn’t look the most “tailored” in this shot? Again, another seven inch drop from the size of the jacket to the waist on the pants.