Franklin and Poe - The Philly Native
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| Andrew Li - Franklin & Poe |
There's something strange happens when you live in Center City, Philadelphia; your world starts to shrink. Now if you've never visited the City of Brotherly Love, it's famously walkable - you can get most places in 15-20 minutes. Open your front door and you have a wealth of restaurants, shops, whatever you need within a stone's throw. It's so walkable, in fact, that you may paradoxically begin to walk less, simply because you never have to. Your immediate neighborhood becomes the nucleus of your universe. Friends are meeting at 20th street and you live on 13th? Might as well be in China. Have to cross Broad Street? Feels like the Atlantic Ocean at times. I imagine this is how many people in Manhattan feel about getting to Brooklyn (much farther, by the way), but for years I would drag my feet when faced with the prospect of doing anything in Fishtown - one of Philly's hottest neighorhoods (espeically for food), but one that's also not quite as easily accessible by foot from Center City. I blame this weak-ass reason for taking so long to visit Franklin & Poe.
F&P was founded a few years ago by former DOD analyst Andrew Li and US Army veteran Chris Caquelin with the aim of promoting high quality durable good and a special emphasis on domestic design and manufacturing. In practice, this translates into high-level indigo and denim, hard-wearing boots, and the sort of products that tend to look better as they age. In essence, this captures the zeitgeist of the most recent heritage menswear era. And in execution, Franklin & Poe shines.
Here you'll find footwear like Red Wing Flatbox Beckmans in tea core Klondike, Horween waxed flesh White's, denim from Iron Heart, Left Field, Shockoe Atelier, and 3sixteen, and a full line of clothing and accessories from companies such as Merz b. Schwanen, American Trench, Indigofera, and Knickerbocker Mfg. These are the kinds of products you won't any place else in the Tri-state area, much less Center City, and they're also the sort of things that you wouldn't know to look for unless you were several layers deep into the world of workwear and heritage Americana.
That might sound intimidating, but part of what makes this genre of clothing so compelling for men is that it doesn't necessarily demand that its owners be slaves to a hardcore aesthetic. Often it's things that a guy on the street could work into an existing wardrobe or something you might already own, just a better version of it. So while the products championed at Franklin & Poe are good enough to pass muster with a denim or goodyear welt enthusiast, they're approachable enough for the average guy to wear with relative ease. That's not always the case, either. Just ask anyone who's ever tried to ease Rick Owens into their closet.
It's relatively simple for someone to come into a business and write a superficial piece about the "vibe" of a place without understanding anything about it. The shop looks great, they have selvedge denim and that can be "good," but anyone buying or selling "X" should be able to tell you exactly what it is about it that makes it special. Head to the mall, and a typical employee there may have no idea what it even is or might just tell you "selvedge is better." It's quite different speaking to someone who is truly interested in the subject matter. Ask Andrew about one of his products and he will tell you where it was made, how it was made, and why it was made that way. He'll tell you the history of the brand and the story behind the clothing. And he'll point out details that might be missed on the first, second, or fifth pass.
F&P was founded a few years ago by former DOD analyst Andrew Li and US Army veteran Chris Caquelin with the aim of promoting high quality durable good and a special emphasis on domestic design and manufacturing. In practice, this translates into high-level indigo and denim, hard-wearing boots, and the sort of products that tend to look better as they age. In essence, this captures the zeitgeist of the most recent heritage menswear era. And in execution, Franklin & Poe shines.
Here you'll find footwear like Red Wing Flatbox Beckmans in tea core Klondike, Horween waxed flesh White's, denim from Iron Heart, Left Field, Shockoe Atelier, and 3sixteen, and a full line of clothing and accessories from companies such as Merz b. Schwanen, American Trench, Indigofera, and Knickerbocker Mfg. These are the kinds of products you won't any place else in the Tri-state area, much less Center City, and they're also the sort of things that you wouldn't know to look for unless you were several layers deep into the world of workwear and heritage Americana.
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| Flatbox Beckmans |
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| Left Field Denim |
That might sound intimidating, but part of what makes this genre of clothing so compelling for men is that it doesn't necessarily demand that its owners be slaves to a hardcore aesthetic. Often it's things that a guy on the street could work into an existing wardrobe or something you might already own, just a better version of it. So while the products championed at Franklin & Poe are good enough to pass muster with a denim or goodyear welt enthusiast, they're approachable enough for the average guy to wear with relative ease. That's not always the case, either. Just ask anyone who's ever tried to ease Rick Owens into their closet.
It's relatively simple for someone to come into a business and write a superficial piece about the "vibe" of a place without understanding anything about it. The shop looks great, they have selvedge denim and that can be "good," but anyone buying or selling "X" should be able to tell you exactly what it is about it that makes it special. Head to the mall, and a typical employee there may have no idea what it even is or might just tell you "selvedge is better." It's quite different speaking to someone who is truly interested in the subject matter. Ask Andrew about one of his products and he will tell you where it was made, how it was made, and why it was made that way. He'll tell you the history of the brand and the story behind the clothing. And he'll point out details that might be missed on the first, second, or fifth pass.
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| A retired pair of Naked & Famous jeans on display |
Though Franklin & Poe place an emphasis on domestically-produced goods, the bottom line requirement for the breadth of their inventory is only that they are consciously manufactured hard-wearing, quality products. Truth be told, I think men these days are a little tired of reading about "quality products" these days, as too many opportunistic clothing and footwear company from the heritage heyday made "quality" and "heritage" just buzzwords in their marking campaigns in a bid to squeeze more money out of their customers (take a moment to read about Shinola, for example). It can be fatiguing trying to sort out what's true and what's fluff. In that sense, Franklin & Poe has done a great job of compiling a store full of the "right" stuff, not just more stuff - things that you can actually keep and grow with for years. And in the spirit of buying for a long future, it's worth noting that they also offer a jeans hemming and repair service (including chain stitching), which I've seen in person and am planning on taking advantage of in the future.
Years ago when I made my Philadelphia menswear guide and map, Franklin & Poe wasn't even on my list, which is a little embarrassing and something I've since fixed. As vibrant as the city of Philadelphia is, the menswear scene is still relatively small and has yet to approach what you will find in some of the other major cities in America. In a few months, we'll have three H&M stores within a 5 block radius, but what good does that actually do for menswear (or anyone, for that matter)? I know the answer, and I'm guessing you do as well. There just aren't many local shops for men that carry high quality goods and are invested in being a part of the community, but at F&P you'll find goods with a local flavor, like Knickerbocker "Fishtown" tees and Philly American Trench socks. It's a big step in the right direction, and one I'm proud to have in my area. So whether you're a visitor to the city or just never explored the shops outside your immediate area, it would be well worth the time to drop in.
Years ago when I made my Philadelphia menswear guide and map, Franklin & Poe wasn't even on my list, which is a little embarrassing and something I've since fixed. As vibrant as the city of Philadelphia is, the menswear scene is still relatively small and has yet to approach what you will find in some of the other major cities in America. In a few months, we'll have three H&M stores within a 5 block radius, but what good does that actually do for menswear (or anyone, for that matter)? I know the answer, and I'm guessing you do as well. There just aren't many local shops for men that carry high quality goods and are invested in being a part of the community, but at F&P you'll find goods with a local flavor, like Knickerbocker "Fishtown" tees and Philly American Trench socks. It's a big step in the right direction, and one I'm proud to have in my area. So whether you're a visitor to the city or just never explored the shops outside your immediate area, it would be well worth the time to drop in.
Franklin and Poe
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