Buck Mason is an American menswear brand founded in Venice, California in 2013 by Erik Allen Ford (from Concordia, Missouri) and Sasha Koehn (from Cleveland, Ohio) — two midwesterners who moved west with the idea of making clothing that would stand the test of time. Starting from a 350-square-foot garage in Venice with locally-made jeans and T-shirts, Buck Mason has grown to over 50 retail stores across the US and annual revenue exceeding $100 million, described by the Wall Street Journal as a candidate for “the next great American menswear brand.”
Key Facts
- Founded: 2013
- Founders: Erik Allen Ford and Sasha Koehn
- Headquarters: Los Angeles (Venice), California, USA
- Funding Model: No venture capital; funded by friends, family, and angel investors
- Industry: American Menswear, Direct-to-Consumer Basics
History and Philosophy
Ford and Koehn spent over three years developing their Curved Hem Tee — testing 52 variations before settling on the final design, which became one of the most-recommended T-shirts in American menswear writing. This obsessive approach to a single product defined how the brand would grow: deconstructing and refining the garments Americans have worn for generations, making subtle improvements to fit, fabric, and construction without altering the fundamental familiarity. Unlike many DTC brands of the same era — Everlane and Outdoor Voices — Buck Mason declined venture capital, growing on a smaller pool of investment and making careful decisions about manufacturing and retail.
The brand worked with J. Mueser (Naples) in 2024 on Ivy-inspired tailoring, with Lee in 2025 on a Japanese selvedge denim version of the 101J jacket, and with J. Press in 2025 on traditional Americana menswear — all collaborations that signal the brand’s range and the cultural territory it occupies. “Sasha and I make clothes for an audience of two: me and him,” said Ford.
Aesthetic
Buck Mason’s design language is rooted in California ease and American workwear heritage — T-shirts, henleys, sweatshirts, denim, chinos, and outerwear in clean silhouettes and neutral colourways. The brand’s tagline is “Modern American Classics.” Production combines domestic and international manufacturing, with the brand investing in its own knitting and production facilities to preserve traditional domestic craftsmanship.
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