Clothing & Footwear

Away & Tumi 🇺🇸 non-EU

American suitcases with a marketing budget.

• RIMOWA Cologne since 1898, still made there — owned by LVMH of Paris. 🇩🇪
• Delsey Paris since 1946. 🇫🇷
• Roncato Padua, family-owned, made in Italy. 🇮🇹
• TITAN German, part of Bavarian maker Schaumann. 🇩🇪

Converse, Vans & New Balance 🇺🇸 non-EU

The casual sneaker canon, all American-owned.

• VEJA Paris. Wild rubber, organic cotton, no advertising budget at all. 🇫🇷
• Superga Turin, 1911. The 2750 is the original. 🇮🇹
• Novesta Partizánske, Slovakia. Vulcanised by hand since 1939. 🇸🇰
• Camper Mallorca, family-run for four generations. 🇪🇸

Fossil & Michael Kors watches 🇺🇸 non-EU

American fashion watches, assembled far away.

• Swatch Biel/Bienne. Swiss made, and the reason Swiss watchmaking survived the 1980s. 🇨🇭
• Junghans Schramberg, Black Forest. The Max Bill is a design classic. 🇩🇪
• NOMOS Glashütte Saxony. In-house movements at a fraction of Swiss prices. 🇩🇪
• Tissot Le Locle since 1853, part of the Swatch Group. 🇨🇭

Gap, Abercrombie & Ralph Lauren 🇺🇸 non-EU

American high street, imported wholesale.

• COS Stockholm. H&M's grown-up label. 🇸🇪
• ARKET Also H&M, Nordic and durable. 🇸🇪
• Massimo Dutti Inditex, Galicia. 🇪🇸
• MANGO Barcelona. 🇪🇸

Hanes & Fruit of the Loom 🇺🇸 non-EU

American blank tees, made wherever is cheapest.

• Trigema Burladingen. Everything made in Germany, and it says so loudly. 🇩🇪
• Stanley/Stella Brussels. Organic blanks with a published factory list. 🇧🇪
• Continental Clothing UK, Earth Positive carbon-neutral range. 🇬🇧
• Sanetta German children's basics since 1800. 🇩🇪

Herschel & JanSport 🇨🇦🇺🇸 non-EU

North American backpacks.

• Fjällräven Kånken Swedish, 1978, and everywhere for good reason. 🇸🇪
• FREITAG Zurich. Made from used truck tarpaulins, each one unique. 🇨🇭
• Deuter Bavarian since 1898; repairs packs decades old. 🇩🇪
• ORTLIEB Heilsbronn. Genuinely waterproof, made in Germany. 🇩🇪

Levi's & Wrangler 🇺🇸 non-EU

San Francisco and Greensboro invented the category and still own it.

• Nudie Jeans Gothenburg. Free repairs for life, and they mean it. 🇸🇪
• MUD Jeans Dutch. You can lease the jeans and send them back to be remade. 🇳🇱
• Kings of Indigo Amsterdam, organic and recycled denim. 🇳🇱
• ARMEDANGELS Cologne, fair-trade certified throughout. 🇩🇪

Lululemon & Athleta 🇨🇦🇺🇸 non-EU

North American yoga wear at North American prices.

• Odlo Swiss, and the inventor of the modern sports base layer in 1946. 🇨🇭
• Casall Stockholm, training wear and equipment since 1984. 🇸🇪
• Björn Borg Swedish sport and underwear. 🇸🇪
• FALKE Schmallenberg. The sports socks are the quiet standout. 🇩🇪

Nike & Under Armour 🇺🇸 non-EU

Oregon and Baltimore, worn by most of Europe.

• adidas Herzogenaurach, Bavaria. The three stripes. 🇩🇪
• PUMA The same town, founded by the other brother. 🇩🇪
• Hummel Danish since 1923, and unusually vocal about ethics. 🇩🇰
• Joma Toledo, Spain. Football kit across southern Europe. 🇪🇸

The North Face, Columbia & Patagonia 🇺🇸 non-EU

American outdoor gear, on European mountains.

• Fjällräven Örnsköldsvik, 1960. G-1000 fabric, waxed not coated. 🇸🇪
• VAUDE Tettnang. Climate-neutral in Germany, and audited about it. 🇩🇪
• Norrøna Norwegian since 1929, family-owned, lifetime warranty. 🇳🇴
• Mammut Swiss, 1862. Ropes first, everything else after. 🇨🇭

Timberland, Merrell & Crocs 🇺🇸 non-EU

American footwear for European terrain.

• Birkenstock German since 1774, and the actual original of the shape. 🇩🇪
• MEINDL Kirchanschöring, boots since 1683. Resoleable. 🇩🇪
• LOWA Jetzendorf, Bavaria. Still made in Europe. 🇩🇪
• SCARPA Asolo, Veneto. Mountaineering boots. 🇮🇹

Tommy Hilfiger & Calvin Klein 🇺🇸 non-EU

Two brands, one New York parent company.

• BOSS Metzingen, Germany. 🇩🇪
• Tiger of Sweden Stockholm tailoring. 🇸🇪
• Sandro Paris. 🇫🇷
• Lacoste French heritage, now under Swiss-based MF Brands. 🇨🇭

Uniqlo & Muji 🇯🇵 non-EU

Plain, well-made basics — from Tokyo.

• COS Stockholm. H&M's grown-up label. 🇸🇪
• ARKET Also H&M: Nordic basics plus homeware, the closest match to Muji. 🇸🇪
• HEMA Amsterdam since 1926. Plain, cheap, well designed, and very Dutch. 🇳🇱
• Flying Tiger Copenhagen Danish, for the stationery-and-oddments half of what Muji sells. 🇩🇰

Victoria's Secret 🇺🇸 non-EU

An American brand with a complicated decade.

• Hunkemöller Amsterdam since 1886, Europe's largest lingerie chain — though ownership has sat with US investors since a 2022 restructuring. 🇳🇱
• Triumph Bad Zurzach, founded in Germany 1886. 🇨🇭
• sloggi Same group, and the everyday European default. 🇨🇭
• Etam Paris since 1916. 🇫🇷

Warby Parker & Zenni 🇺🇸 non-EU

Frames you wear every waking hour.

• Ace & Tate Amsterdam. The closest thing to a European Warby Parker. 🇳🇱
• MYKITA Berlin. Screwless stainless frames, made in the same building they are designed in. 🇩🇪
• Lindberg Aarhus. Titanium, no screws, no rivets, famously light. 🇩🇰
• Silhouette Linz. Rimless frames light enough to forget. 🇦🇹