00:00Canal Street has always sat at the crossroads of hustle, culture, and reinvention.
00:04It's known for...
00:05It's hawkish energy, gritty spirit, and of course, it's counterfeit goods.
00:08But did you know that in recent years, it is...
00:10It has also become a hub for high-end men's fashion.
00:12Today, we're stepping into the nexus of its new scene.
00:15Exploring the future of menswear right here in New York City.
00:18I'm hearing from the brands reshaping Canal Street.
00:20About why they came here and how they see its identity evolving.
00:23So what do you think?
00:24Has Canal Street gone soft?
00:25Or is it just getting sharper?
00:27Let's go check it out.
00:28So I can go down Canal Street...
00:30And I can get three t-shirts for about $10.
00:32Here, I can get a shirt for $115.
00:33What's the difference there?
00:34First...
00:35First of all, it's made on an old loop-wheeler.
00:37Time is money, we know.
00:39It takes almost...
00:4020 to 25 minutes just to warp the fabric for one...
00:45Then you have this wonderful moment of vindication.
00:48Your shirts are on the bear on Jeremy Allen White.
00:50What was that like for you?
00:51We found out that the stylist of the bear had...
00:55released the brand's name of Jeremy Allen White's t-shirt, which...
01:00wears in the bear.
01:01And there was such a run on our online shop and we're like, what?
01:05What's happening here?
01:06This is crazy.
01:08So, how did Jeremy Allen White...
01:10this $115 t-shirt end up on Canal Street of all places?
01:13And...
01:14Why have so many other menswear brands...
01:15chosen this stretch of canal to set up shop?
01:17Well, it all started in the fall of 2020 when Knickerbocker...
01:20moved into a COVID-discounted corner lot at 357 Canal Street.
01:23It did well, and in turn...
01:25The developer, United American Land...
01:27presented the success as a proof of concept to other store owners and like-minded...
01:30brands.
01:31And sure enough, Drake's followed in 2021.
01:33Then the Brooklyn Circus in 2023.
01:35Mersby Schwanen in 2024.
01:37And William White's Emporium in 2025.
01:40What do you think it is about Canal Street that draws these kind of like-minded businesses?
01:43I mean, regardless of, like, price...
01:45for this unit, this is a very well-commuted street.
01:48We get a lot of foot traffic.
01:49Canal Street...
01:50It felt like the last kind of artery of New York connecting East and West, North and
01:54South, and was an...
01:55interesting threshold.
01:56Canal just seemed like a natural home being right in between Tribeca and...
02:00So...
02:01While some of the brands were drawn by the practical aspects...
02:03Rent, foot traffic, and transit stops...
02:05others were influenced by the growing cool factor on the street.
02:07We saw an opportunity to create energy.
02:09To create...
02:10We saw the spaces that were already here.
02:13Over the past couple of years, more men's work brands.
02:15showing up.
02:16So we just wanted to be involved with that.
02:17Here, it felt even more...
02:19Eclipse.
02:20Eclipse.
02:21No.
02:22Eclipse.
02:23It felt...
02:24Alec Tick in the way, knowing that there's this great neighbor, such as Knickerbock.
02:25and Drake's and Brooklyn Circus made our decision.
02:30Much easier.
02:32Going back to the 60s and even long before,
02:34Canal Street has been a center of
02:35commerce where cultural and socio-economic worlds collide.
02:38There's a lot of polarities on Canal Street.
02:40With its history, that is so integral to New York.
02:43That fabric of the...
02:45almost sandpaper between the two worlds
02:47is what makes you recognize the beauty and also...
02:50recognize the ugly.
02:51Do you think Canal Street can maintain that authenticity
02:53and like the character and the charm?
02:55When you have stores like Merritt's Bee and Knickerbocker
02:58when they move in.
02:59These are great stores but can...
03:00do you think Canal Street stay Canal Street?
03:02I think so.
03:03If we all do a good job.
03:05and collaborate and work together as a big team with...
03:10everybody who's here, that's our challenge.
03:13Of course, Canal Street involves...
03:15involved a lot over the last years.
03:17The creative part of the Canal Street...
03:20is getting even stronger.
03:21I don't know if it will ever be
03:23completely gentrified kind of upper...
03:25East Side situation.
03:26New York always has a way of finding little cracks...
03:28and crevices within each neighborhood.
03:30to allow for that because that's New York.
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