ABOUT BRAVE GENTLEMAN
Brave GentleMan is an award-winning brand launched in 2010 most known for high-quality, expertly-crafted footwear made with cutting edge materials and ethical manufacturing. Brave GentleMan has been featured in Vogue, GQ, Forbes, The Financial Times and photographed on celebrities from Lukas Gage, Stephan James, Alan Cumming and Zach Woods to Liam Hemsworth, Joaquin Phoenix and Elliot Knight. In recent years, the brand was named Menswear Brand of the Year and Most Influential Designer by PETA.
“Many people don’t realize that popular materials like wool and leather are associated with disastrous climate impacts, loss of biodiversity and animal cruelty. At Brave GentleMan we simply don’t view animals as acceptable sources of fiber.”
Founder, Joshua Katcher
In 2010, Brave GentleMan was launched, becoming the first vegan lifestyle menswear brand in the world.
VOGUE says that, "The full scope of Katcher’s ethical commitment is rather head-spinning, just as it is to gape about his Williamsburg shop, with its complete future-is-now men’s range".
PAPER MAG said BGM has "just about everything an mindful fashionisto could want”.
Sportswear International said that BGM is, “vegan smart and cool menswear”.
Joshua Katcher is a fashion designer, author, activist and educator who has taught at Parsons The New School and LIM college, and has lectured internationally on sustainable and ethical fashion. He wrote first book in 2018, Fashion Animals, dedicated to understanding how and why animals are exploited in the fashion industry.
Brave GentleMan has graced the cover of British GQ's November 2016 Issue on Benedict Cumberbatch. Forbes has featured BGM in their gift guides, while COMPLEX called BGM one of the “coolest things” they've seen. Katcher was awarded "Menswear Brand of the Year, 2016" and "Most Influential Designer of 2015" by PETA. He has been interviewed on major networks, such as PBS News Hour and in feature documentaries like SLAY on Waterbear Network as a fashion expert.
HOW WE MAKE THINGS
“The handsomeness of an object should be matched by the handsomeness of how it was made.”
TROUBLEMAKER
Brave GentleMan does things differently. We embrace a slow-fashion production model. We invest in sustainable innovation, superior vegan materials, ethical labor and classic styles made with quality.
YOU ARE A CITIZEN
We don’t like to call you a “consumer”. That title is passive. You’re more than a receptacle, and where you put your money actually matters. We like to think of our customers as citizen-investors whose purchases actually fund the systems they want to see flourish. Thank you for investing in Brave GentleMan.
MANIFESTO
‘Ethical fashion’ is not an aesthetic. It is a methodology. Brave GentleMan simply applies this method to classic menswear aesthetics. We don't believe animals belong in the fashion production system. We believe that people making our clothing and growing, developing or processing our materials deserve respect and dignity through safe conditions and living wages. We believe that ecosystems should not be destroyed in order to make fashion. We believe that the increasing velocity of "fast-fashion" is one very visible manifestation of a much larger and deeper problem. We don't think Brave GentleMan is perfect, but it is taking steps toward better and better solutions..
TRUE STORY
We believe that how products are made supersede any marketed "story". Our footwear and accessories are constructed in a durable, supple, weather resistant, hi-tech materials. As we transition to bio-based materials like biodegradable and plastic-free MIRUM®, partially bio-based Appleskin®, we still use polyurethane microfiber made in Italy that is Oeko-Tex® Standard 100 class I certified and meets the requirements for REACH Regulation 1907:2006. (For information on comparing the environmental impacts of conventional leather to PU leather click here.) In addition the materials being UNE-EN ISO certified for safety, protective and work footwear.
Most of our outerwear and suiting is made using things like organic cotton, Brazilian waste-diverted tweeds and twills woven from recycled cotton and recycled polyester, and linings made from organic cotton. Buttons are made from corozo (tagua nut),
It’s tricker when it comes to replacing specialized materials like insoles, structural elements, fusible, interlinings and padding which are often still made with conventional synthetics. We are always on the lookout for better alternatives to these.
IN PURSUIT OF SUPERIOR MATERIALS
Brave GentleMan's palette of materials is constantly in flux as we grow, as our buying-power and collaborations increase, and as we gain information about new materials that are available. Our goal is to use the highest performance materials with stringent aesthetic criteria that meet a set of serious ethical and environmental standards. We are excited for the day that circumfaunal materials bypass all animal inputs in material supply chains.
The global luxury vegan men’s fashion market size was valued at USD 17.5 billion in 2020 and is expected to expand at a CAGR of 10.9% from 2021 to 2028. The footwear segment dominated the market for luxury vegan men’s fashion and accounted for the largest value share of over 40.8% in 2020. This product segment is projected to witness a CAGR of over 10.7% over the forecast period. *Source
A 2019 study found that more than 1/3 of surveyed consumers reported they have switched from their preferred brand to another for reasons related to responsible practices. *Source.
In 2021, there was a 178% jump in page views for “vegan leather”. *Source
The Global Vegan Leather Market size was estimated at USD 37.90 billion in 2020 and expected to reach USD 41.54 billion in 2021, at a CAGR 9.93% to reach USD 66.92 billion by 2026. *Source
According to the Research and Markets report ”, the global plant-based leather market will grow to USD 3.5 Billion by 2027 at a CAGR of 47% during the forecast period 2020 - 2027." *Source
In 2021, there was a 67% increase in searches for vegan sneakers after Nike launched vegan Air Jordan collection in partnership with Billie Eilish in September 2021, a 178% jump in page views for “vegan leather”, and a 348% year-on-year increase in views on Lyst for biodegradable sneakers. *Source