20 Luxury Flannel Shirt Brands That Will Upgrade Your Fall/Winter Wardrobe
Elevate your casual fits with the labels and designers making the most luxurious flannel shirts you can buy today.
The flannel shirt really comes into its own in fall and winter, when the temperature starts to drop and your lightweight cotton and linen shirts just don’t cut it anymore.
Flannel, derived from the Welsh word ‘gwalnen‘, meaning wool, originally referenced a soft, woven fabric made from wool. Its roots can be traced back to 17th-century Wales, where it was first used for its warmth and durability, making it ideal for warding off the chilly British weather.
These days, flannel shirts are more likely to be made of brushed cotton rather than wool, leaving the latter to more robust shackets/overshirts. This brushing process enhances the fabric’s warmth and creates a plush texture, making it perfect for colder seasons. It works especially well in workwear wardrobes where it has become something of a staple garment, especially in heritage check styles.
In recent years, the check flannel shirt has become a key element of streetwear looks, popularised by the likes of A$AP Rocky and Travis Scott.
What makes a flannel shirt luxury?
In essence, luxury flannel shirts combine the heritage and comfort of brushed cotton or wool with the artistry, quality craftsmanship and brand cachet of high-end fashion.
They are the perfect blend of style, substance and enduring appeal, making them a must-have for most wardrobes. Top-notch styles will consist of high-quality organic cotton or 100% extra-fine wool such as merino and will be precisely constructed with elegant stitching details, unique checks and button finishes.
The best luxury flannel shirt brands for men
Off-White
The iconic label founded by the late Virgil Abloh is renowned for its high-fashion streetwear and was an early frontrunner of the flannel shirt, incorporating bold graphics, checks and typography.
The front chest pocket always features the check turned 45 degrees to create contrast and offer a distinctive urban edge.
Rag & Bone
New York-based Rag & Bone always does a great line of luxury flannel shirts, crafted from premium cotton, showcasing impeccable tailoring and a timeless appeal.
Its Yokohama plaid flannel shirts are yarn-dyed for a really rich tone, but the Engineered Japanese Cotton Jack Shirt steals the limelight with its heavyweight tumbled cotton flannel.
Woolrich
Woolrich, established in 1830, boasts a rich history of producing high-quality outdoor clothing, and its luxury flannel shirts are some of the warmest and most durable around.
Woolrich’s flannels and overshirts showcase traditional plaid patterns, such as the iconic Buffalo check, offering both ruggedness and refinement.
Add one to your workwear rotation or use it as a shacket in a more streetwear-oriented wardrobe.
Oliver Spencer
British maestro Oliver Spencer’s ethos centers on craftsmanship, great fabrics and sustainability. Each winter the brand releases a number of brushed cotton shirts and overshirts using only the finest organic cotton, for a really soft handle.
Featuring clean lines, contemporary cuts and a number of different collar constructions, Spencer’s flannel shirts are excellent additions to a contemporary utilitarian wardrobe.
YMC
YMC is a British brand known for its boxy silhouettes and bold patterns. Its flannel shirts are typically made from Portuguese brushed cotton, so you can be guaranteed the highest quality yarns.
This season, they’ve produced a fun, bright-colored plaid flannel shirt – a great way to inject color and pattern into your off-duty looks.
Dsquared2
Dsquared2, founded by the Canadian twin brothers Dean and Dan Caten, has long been a luxury purveyor of the flannel shirt, which is not surprising given the garment’s popularity in its home country.
Look out for the brand’s brightly colored plaids in oversized silhouettes which are excellent statement makers when worn in a grungy street style way.
Thom Browne
Known for its avant-garde approach to traditional tailored shapes, Thom Browne’s luxury take on the flannel shirt is unsurprisingly contemporary.
While the brand does offer a relaxed plaid pajama shirt in luscious brushed cotton flannel, the majority of Browne’s flannel offerings come characteristically fitted, with the label’s signature four white bars applied to the left arm.
Mr. P
The in-house label by luxury etailer MR PORTER offers a curated selection of premium menswear for considerably less than the brands it stocks.
Hence its flannel shirts offer amazing value, crafted from premium Oxford cotton, making them essential pieces in any discerning man’s wardrobe.
Portuguese Flannel
Portuguese Flannel, as the name suggests, hails from Portugal and is committed to producing the finest shirts on the market.
The only specialist flannel menswear brand in the world, its shirts are handcrafted with great attention to detail, offering a wide range of plaid patterns and hues in shirt and overshirt shapes.
Polo Ralph Lauren
Is there anyone who does the classic American preppy aesthetic better than Polo Ralph Lauren?
Of course, flannel shirts play a key role in its perennial collections, offering a sublime slice of East Coast sophistication using excellent cotton and timeless silhouettes.
Celine Homme
Celine Homme, now under the creative direction of Hedi Slimane, might not be the first name that springs to mind when thinking about flannel shirt brands, but the garment’s popularity and ubiquity have meant that even the loftiest of luxury fashion houses want in on the act.
Celine Homme produces an array of futuristic plaid styles in both cotton and wool, all of which will help elevate any contemporary fashion wardrobe.
AMI Paris
Offering a distinctly modern take on French elegance, AMI Paris has mastered the art of contemporary cool, taking traditional shapes and making them effortlessly ‘now’.
The label’s luxury flannel shirts come in boxy and oversized fits. They combine refined aesthetics with beautifully soft cotton, making them perfect for a refined casual look.
Brunello Cucinelli
The Italian master of quiet luxury, Brunello Cucinelli has always been synonymous with superior fabrics and craftsmanship.
The brand’s flannel shirts are crafted from the finest cotton and feature exquisite detailing, evidenced by this season’s Madras plaid western shirt with double front pockets and a cutaway collar that you can wear casually or formally.
Hartford
French brand Hartford often flies under the radar, but when it comes to flannel shirts it should be one of your first ports of call. Its brushed cotton shirts are effortlessly stylish, characterized by relaxed fits and classic plaid patterns such as Buffalo check.
The button-down flannel Pitt shirt is a great one to have in your fall rotation.
Sunspel
We normally associate Sunspel with summer tees and exquisite polo shirts but the British heritage label also makes a fine flannel shirt.
Crafted from Italian woven, brushed cotton flannel, the brand offers both shirt and overshirt options in refined understated tones, making them a welcome addition to minimalist wardrobes.
Drake’s
With its HQ now on Savile Row, London, British institution Drake’s has solidified its presence at the top table of tailoring. And yet it’s the brand’s preppy casualwear that we keep coming back to.
Naturally, the flannel shirt is an ever-present part of its perennial fall/winter collections, cut from the softest brushed cotton fabrics and usually coming in the classic button-down style.
Don’t expect bold colors, but do expect exceptional quality.
Outerknown
Outerknown, the US casualwear brand co-founded by surfing legend Kelly Slater, places a strong emphasis on sustainability and ethical practices so it goes without saying the fabrics have outstanding provenance.
With a rugged American appeal, the shirts and overshirts are cut from 100% organic cotton cloth and use corozo buttons which are made from tagua palm nuts, gathered from the forest floor.
Amiri
Mike Amiri’s eponymous brand has redefined luxury streetwear in recent years, becoming a firm favorite on the hip-hop scene.
Its flannel shirts are a fusion of contemporary aesthetics and high-quality craftsmanship, with some really imaginative and subversive logo treatments bringing plenty of hype and brand cachet.
Balenciaga
Under the creative direction of Demna Gvasalia, Balenciaga continues to be the enfant terrible of the luxury fashion industry, subverting traditional concepts and tropes to really push the boundaries of menswear.
This season, it has produced some bold check flannel shirts constructed in Italy using the finest brushed cotton. The plaids have been given a predictably punky twist, perfect for making a style statement.
Alex Mill
If bold, bright checks are your preference, then this season’s flannel options at Alex Mill are a must-see. The New York-based brand known for its timeless casual menswear has created a trio of flannel chore shirts, incorporating really vibrant plaids.
As ever, Mill only uses the very best fabrics – in this case, super-soft cotton that’s been washed to create a vintage, lived-in feel.
