NYC-based company offers vintage-inspired sportswear at reasonable prices.
American-made clothing was practically unheard of by the time Christian McCann launched his American-made menswear company, Left Field, in 1998.
As McCann recalls, the only people who seemed to care enough to buy Made in America goods back then were the Japanese. But that seemed to change after the Great Recession hit in 2009, when Left Field began attracting customers here at home interested in buying high-quality, American-made menswear essentials.
“I think people realized their buying habits had a huge impact on the loss of American jobs and they started buying back into American made products, which in turn supported the American workforce,” McCann said.
Based in Queens, New York, Left Field originally started out as a high end varsity sportswear collection, which McCann describes is a mixture of Japanese street-style mixed with details of American heritage.
“Although the brand has been through many phases over the years, making quality, American clothing that our grandfathers would be proud of has always been my number one concern.” —Christian McCann
The company’s name comes from McCann’s own experiences as a child, when he was so terrible at baseball that his coaches put him in left field because no one would hit that far. While standing out there, McCann entered his own world — and so it seemed fitting that when time came to name his unique clothing line, it would tie into the old saying “Out in Left Field.”
McCann strives to add details of American heritage into his clothes to give a nostalgic effect. The labels and packaging purposefully evokes a certain feeling of vintage American style that McCann first noticed while attending antique flea markets with his family as a child. At the markets, McCann became obsessed with the incredible craftsmanship and detail of things from the past. This sparked a passion in him to bridge the gap between what used to be handcrafted, but was now being mass produced.
McCann describes the process of making clothes as “a constant evolution.” The company is constantly trying to add details and make things better by experimenting with more interesting fabric, buttons, pocketing and designs. In this way, the creation process doesn’t have a definitive time or process.
Left Field works closely with high quality factories that have a huge emphasis on details and quality control, which is exactly what McCann strives for.
“Left Field wasn't intended to be high priced fashion items or overly precious owner-made items,” McCann said. “So quality factories means better prices for consumers and satisfaction.”
Check out Left Field's products and find out where the company’s products are sold.