Your Go-To Guide to Menswear's Biggest Influencers

There isn't necessarily one clear pathway to gain membership into the menswear influencer club. You have to dress well, natch, but apart from that, you can find your place by nabbing a high-profile job, amassing a five or six-figure Instagram follower count, or building a portfolio of candid street style photos from Fashion Week that you post to your social media feeds — or hoard in a file on your laptop to show the kids someday.

Each of the 20 men on this list have some combination of those three (we'll have to file a Freedom of Information Act request with Tommy Ton to check on their personal street style photo caches). Some, like Bergdorf Goodman's Bruce Pask and fashion consultant Nick Wooster, have years of experience in men's fashion and the CV to prove it. Others, like models Michael Lockley and Luka Sabbat — aka the coolest people not able to legally buy booze — are underage hustlers on the come-up. These folks will all enjoy a bump in visibility as New York Fashion Week: Men's picks up speed, so we put together a helpful guide to some names and faces you're likely to see a lot of over the next few days.

Nick Wooster, Fashion Consultant

Nick Wooster is one of the most instantly recognizable figures in men's fashion thanks to his distinct aesthetic, trademark mustache, and copious tattoos. The Kansas native's had an illustrious career, with high-profile positions everywhere from Neiman Marcus to JCPenney, and he's recently parlayed his experience into collaborations with brands like the sneaker company Greats and Italian label Lardini. Currently a free agent consultant, Wooster can reliably be spotted at Fashion Weeks around the world — and gracing the covers of international magazines, like GQ Taiwan and L'Officiel Hommes.

Josh Peskowitz, Co-founder, Magasin

Peskowitz built up a name for himself by working on the style teams at magazines like The Fader, Esquire and the beloved, yet ill-fated duo of men's shopping title Cargo and Condé Nast's men.style.com. He eventually jumped the editorial ship for Bloomingdales before launching his own boutique in Culver City called Magasin.

Bruce Pask, Men's Fashion Director, Bergdorf Goodman

Pask's winning sense of personal style is a natural magnet for photographers gathered outside fashion shows, as it's a master class in attention to detail. It also helps that Pask, who was previously the men's fashion director at T: The New York Times Magazine and has worked at GQ, is one of the nicest dudes in the biz.

Alex Badia, Men's and Women's Fashion Director, WWD

One of men's fashion's more colorful personalities, Badia has seemingly never met a statement coat he doesn't like. In 2016, he was included on Vanity Fair's International Best Dressed List, alongside Prince Harry, Victor Cruz and Joe Biden.

Eugene Tong, stylist

Revered as a style gawd among rabid men's fashion followers, Tong transitioned from the upper reaches of the Details Magazine masthead to styling full-time last year. Highly in-demand as an industry vet, Tong loans his talents to brands like Public School, Kith and Billy Reid.

Eric Rutherford, model/influencer

Rutherford's increased visibility recently can be attributed to a close relationship with the CFDA, who has named him a NYFW Ambassador in recent seasons. The salt-and-pepper model also makes a strong case for #grownuphairgoals.

Mobolaji Dawodu, Fashion Director, GQ Style

The Fader alum may have traded his indie mag roots for the hallowed halls of Condé Nast, but he hasn't left behind his personal wardrobe, full of pieces collected from travels around the globe that only he can pull off so effortlessly.

David Thielebeule, Style Director, WSJ Magazine

With a closet full of Gucci coats, neckerchiefs and Bieber merch, Thielebeule's influence extends beyond the pages of WSJ Mag.

Matthew Henson, stylist

In 2016, Henson left his long-time post as Fashion Editor at Complex to focus on styling full-time (his high-profile clients include A$AP Rocky and The Weeknd). Henson has a talent for spotting up-and-coming design talent and combining them with established brands for some head-turning looks.

Scroll to Continue

Recommended Articles

The 12 Best Looks From the 2022 Fashion Awards

Must Read: Malone Souliers Launches 'Emily in Paris' Shoe Collection, How Resale Saved New York Retail

18 Twin Sets to Pull You Out of a Winter Sweater Slump

Adonis Bosso, model

Bosso has been a steady presence on men's fashion week circuit for years now, and you can also spot him lending his inimitable swagger to recent campaigns for Dolce & Gabbana, Tom Ford and Ports 1961.

Julien Decanali, Buyer, Barneys New York

If there's one thing that remains true for street style photographers, it's that tattoos and high-end labels are an infallible combination. Decanali, who has been with Barneys since 2011, has plenty of both.

Luka Sabbat, stylist/model/influencer

Model, stylist, and certified Cool Teen, Sabbat counts A$AP Rocky and Kendall Jenner among his pals. He may have risen to fame on social media — and on account of his tight friendships with tastemakers like Virgil Abloh and Heron Preston — but campaigns with Hugo Boss and a recent runway appearance for Dolce & Gabbana suggest he's got IRL staying power, too.

Matthew Foley, consultant

A bleached blonde 'do and Thom Browne-heavy wardrobe ensure that Foley, a new media consultant, maintains his status as a street style fixture season in and season out.

Michael Lockley, model

Lockley is a rising star in modeling, "one to watch" for a few seasons running. Lockley and his signature blonde hair have been tapped by everyone from Rag & Bone to Tommy Hilfiger and American Eagle.

Motofumi "Poggy" Kogi, Director, United Arrows

Kogi — or, as he's known on Instagram, @poggytheman — pulls off outlandish style flourishes like wide-brimmed hats and extravagant ponchos with ease. As such, the director at Japanese retailer United Arrows has fittingly amassed a strong social following.

Noah Johnson, Editor, GQ Style

Johnson has held positions at magazines like Complex and Details, and held down the fort as a men's critic at the late, great Style.com. His devotion to skate-influenced style has remained steady throughout — way before it was a veritable "thing" on the runways.

Jacob Gallagher, Men's Fashion Editor, Wall Street Journal

As an editor at The Wall Street Journal's Off Duty section, Gallagher covers fashion from a grown-and-moneyed point of view. His own sense of style tends to be a bit more adventurous, favoring a mix of established brands and of-the-moment labels like Gosha Rubchinskiy and Craig Green.

Justin O'Shea, influencer

With his photographer catnip combination of tailored suits and tough guy looks, O'Shea was enjoying success as a buying director for online retailer MyTheresa.com when he was tapped to lead traditional Italian fashion house Brioni last year. That didn't last, but as his triumphant return to street style attests, photographers outside fashion week don't hold that against him.

Bryan Yambao, OG blogger

Bryan Yambao, better known by his nom de blog Bryanboy, came to prominence documenting women's designer fashion (and frequently wearing it himself). But his presence at men's fashion weeks has grown steadily, too.

Angelo Flaccavento, journalist

Flaccavento, hailing from Sicily, is widely considered to be one of the industry's best-dressed figures. His bylines at respected publications like GQ, L'uomo Vogue and Business of Fashion aren't bad, either.

Want more Fashionista? Sign up for our daily newsletter and get us directly in your inbox.