Merz b. Schwanen Opens in New York City

Merz b. Schwanen has officially opened the doors of its New York City flagship store, on Canal Street—their first outpost outside of Germany. The once obscure heritage brand started in 1911 as Balthasar Merz’s textile factory on the Swabian Alb. Then, nearly a century later, and years after shutting down production, Berlin-based husband-and-wife fashion designers Gitta and Peter Plotnicki found an authentic Merz worker’s Henley shirt at a local flea market. “We were instantly fascinated by the unique fabric, with its authentic texture and special haptics. And on top of it all—there were no side seams,” the couple recalls. In 2011, the Plotnickis re-established the label with exceptional fidelity, using the original—now incredibly rare—“loopwheeler” machines to produce many of the superlative, side-seam-less garments. Thirteen years later, it’s truly cause for celebration that Merz b. Schwanen’s range is available Stateside, and in a beautiful space furnished in collaboration with Berlin vintage specialists Danish Apriori, no less. Fans of FX’s The Bear will be interested to know that Jeremy Allen White’s character’s favored white tee is a 215 loopwheel shirt from Merz. 

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