What We Know About Free Assembly: Walmart’s New Affordable Fashion Line for Men

By Christian Gollayan Published April 20, 2021

Image used with permission by copyright holder

Walmart is entering the fashion game.

On September 21, the big-box store announced the launch of Free Assembly a new fashion brand for men and women featuring fall staples at insanely affordable prices.

Recommended Videos

“We’ve built an in-house fashion design team with decades of experience designing for modern American brands known for mass appeal,” Denise Incandela, head of Walmart Fashion Group, wrote in a press release. “This new brand is born from thoughtful, simple design, quality fabrics, modern silhouettes, and styles updated for today.”

The brand’s main selling point is its value. For example, the most expensive item from its 25-piece menswear collection is a $45 parka jacket (yes, you read that correctly). And denim lovers can scoop up a pair of selvedge slim fit jeans for $40, which is quite a steal, given that quality selvedge can easily sell for triple that amount.

Free Assembly — Image used with permission by copyright holder

By the looks of it, Free Assembly also delivers plenty of style for your buck, as the collection is made up of no-frills tops and bottoms that will still look decent for years to come; pants are cut in straight and slim-fit silhouettes, two-pocket flannel shirts comfortably hug your shoulders, and smart undershirts could pass for business casual during your work-from-home calls. While you won’t find any faux leather jackets, tie-dye hoodies, or other flash-in-the-pan trends here, this stuff is made to last. Think of it as an even more affordable version of Gap, which is no surprise, given that Free Assembly is designed by Dwight Fenton, who has also worked for Bonobos, J. Crew, and Old Navy.

“I’m confident that this new brand will quickly become an essential part of their everyday wardrobe,” Incandela said. Though time will tell on that statement, we have to tip our hat to Walmart, who knows a market opportunity when they see it. Now, well into our pandemic reality and seeming economic freefall, guys are being more frugal (to say the least) with how they spend their hard-earned paychecks, especially when it comes to their wardrobes. And unless you want to turn to thrifting, Free Assembly is one of the most competitively priced menswear collections out there now.

Christian Gollayan

Former Former contributor

As the former Associate Managing Editor, Christian Gollayan was in charge of the entire editorial team across The Manual. He…

Topics

Fashion & Style

New York Men’s Day debut: Joseph McRae honors transformation through boldness

Finding the balance between subtlety and using your voice

Joseph McRae greens

New York Men's Day showed up in 2014 mainly because the belief was that men's fashion took a hard backseat to women's fashion during fashion week. While the big brand houses focused on the high fashion looks of the runway to inspire what women would be wearing off the runway, Agentry PR brought brands dedicated to doing the same for men in a now decade-old tradition. Brands of all levels, from newcomers to New York Men's Day veterans, appear yearly to inspire us guys to look our best. The Joseph McRae NYMD debut tells us a story to go beyond the boring and uninspired outfits and instead use our voice to tell a sartorial story.
Balancing boldness and subtlety

The bold use of silhouettes is the first thing that strikes someone walking into the showroom occupied by Joseph McRae in the afternoon segment of NYMD. While the colors are more muted greens and browns, which seem right on trend this season in fashion week, the shapes and lines of his designs are anything but muted. Large, puffy tops and long flowing bottoms create a loud voice contrasting the colors accompanying them. He celebrates the beauty of change. Just as the caterpillar is small, slow, and muted in color, and the butterfly is bright, airborne, and expansive, his collection showcases the marriage between the two. McRae makes a splash in the evening session of the annual show by encouraging us to embrace change and stand up to be seen, even if the world is telling us otherwise.

Fashion & Style

New York Men’s Day debut: Peak Lapel remembers home for the holidays

Channeling the coziness of being home for the holidays

Peak Lapel foursome

New York Men's Day is one of the meccas for up-and-coming men's designers looking to make a splash in the industry. Focusing on those independent brands with a hunger for inspiration and a story to tell their consumers, NYMD spotlights some of the hottest names you may not have heard of year in and year out. One of the more interesting debuts was from a pair of Parsons School of Design students, Jack Milkes and Ben Stedman. The Peak Lapel NYMD Debut sought inspiration from the warmth you feel when going home for the holidays. With the snow falling outside the windows and looking over the New York City streets, regardless of the time of year, onlookers felt right at home with the feeling of yuletide family time.
Cozy prepwear for the holidays

Walking into the room occupied by Peak Lapel at New York Men's Day was like taking a step into a 1960s Ivy League house party. The music filtered through the conversations of those admiring the preppy looks worn by the models engaged in conversation. The bright colors of the classic preppy styles, red, blue, and yellow, jumped out at the onlookers as those vintage silhouettes brought a throwback feel to the new-age grandpa core. A genderless approach to the collection made the garments feel at home no matter who you are or where you go for the holidays. Wool, herringbone, and houndstooth aplenty make this one of the highlights of New York Men's Day. Keep your eye out for more stylish offerings from the hopeful new prep kings, Peak Lapel.

Fashion & Style

New York Men’s Day Debut: Max Esmail honors the artist’s creative vision

Creating a space for innovation at NYMD with Max Esmail

Max Esmail Hero

New York Fashion Week has been a staple in the fashion industry's calendar since World War 2, where designers and brands come together to show off for the press and the buyers who drive the industry's narrative. However, New York Men's Day is much younger as it only appeared in 2014 to showcase young menswear talent looking to break into the industry and take the style world by storm. Essential menswear brands with a story to tell, like Y.Chroma by Max Israel, make splashes in the small space with innovative designs and a goal to implant inspiration in your mind about your style. There were multiple firsts this year, and the Max Esmail NYMD Debut became a space for the creative.
The creative's energy

With the NYC skyline as a backdrop, Max Esmail introduced his Fall and Winter 2025 collection, 55 Bond St. Inspired by his studio; it became a place for creative innovation steeped in an artistic design influenced by modernist architecture and Bauhaus principles. Using leather, marble, and tubular steel, inspired by designers such as Breuer, Kjaerholm, and Mies van der Rohe, Esmail brings sheik minimalist menswear to an ordinarily inaccessible high fashion world of New York Fashion Week. Standouts of the collection are a handful of leather jackets and other outerwear for every moment of your time in blustery New York City and suiting, putting a modern twist on classic silhouettes. While this is a debut for NYMD, a collection like 55 Bond St. looks to the future as a brand ready to spring onto the scene for years to come.