Here’s Early Access To Manresa’s New Made in Connecticut Collection

The best offering yet from one of my favorite brands, available to subscribers before anyone else.

See below for the code that’ll grant you early access to Manresa’s latest release.

Today I’ve got the honor of bringing you the latest collection from one of my favorite brands, Manresa, a full 24 hours before it’ll be available to the public.

Before we get to the gear, a little background: I can’t remember exactly when I came across Manresa for the first time (maybe 2021?), but I do know that as a fellow CT native, I instantly felt a connection to the brand’s authentic New England sensibilities. There was a warmth, a durability, and a rustic-ness imbued in the garments that simply, if not shockingly, reminded me of home. Since then Manresa’s colorful nylon shorts, wide-wale corduroys, and hard-wearing work jackets have all been staples in my rotation, but its latest release is far and away the best one yet.

Outside the Manresa pop-up in NYC, October 2023.

Not only has the quality of the product been enhanced, but this uptick in execution has been accompanied by the label’s new initiative to start making its clothes locally in Bridgeport, CT. Getting this done hasn’t been easy (or cheap), but to founder Mike McLachlan, it’s been an endlessly fulfilling next phase of his brand’s journey that’s made it all worth it.

That in mind, the below is broken down into two parts. In part 1, I wrote about why Manresa on-shored its production despite the inherent challenges. In part 2, I dove into some of my favorite pieces in the new offering, including what I’ve declared to be my favorite 5” nylon shorts on the market today. (Yes, even better than the ones you’re thinking of.) After that, you’ll find the early access code to the new drop. Enjoy!!!

PART I: WHY MANRESA MOVED BACK HOME

New England’s place is menswear history runs deep. Whether it was Paul Sperry getting the idea for boat shoes after slipping off his boat while sailing off the coast of Connecticut, New Balance starting out as an arch support brand in Boston, or Gant helping popularize the “Ivy League” look from a shop on Yale’s campus in New Haven, the region is woven into the very fabric of American style.

Nothing can undo that, but the reality is that in 2025, New England’s clothing legacy exists more in spirit than in infrastructure. The mills have slowed, the factories have thinned, and while the aesthetic remains popular, the actual production of it has often moved elsewhere. Yet that hasn’t stopped Mike McLachlan from doing the opposite: while for the last few years most of Manresa’s gear has been built overseas, he recently decided to bring it back home.

McLachlan, who is a graphic designer by trade, founded Manresa in 2017 as a humble line of T-shirts and hats inspired by the juxtaposition of industrial architecture and picturesque settings he saw growing up in the coastal town of Norwalk, Connecticut. (The name “Manresa” comes from Manresa Island, which until 2013 was home to a power plant.) From there, he expanded into cut and sew products, learning on the fly about everything that goes into clothing production, from pattern making to fabric sourcing. Initially, he was discouraged by the difficultly and cost of making garments in America, which, as is the case with most brands, lead him to partner with factories that were based almost entirely abroad.

The quality he was after was more than achievable through outsourced methods, but as time went on, something about the idea of building a love letter to New England that was constructed elsewhere didn’t sit right with him. “We were a clothing brand that didn’t actually make clothing,” McLachlan says, “And it took me six to seven years to realize that the way I was doing it was just completely disconnected from the way it should be done.” After all, companies like L.L. Bean, Gant, and New Balance all at least started as brands that were conceived, designed, and manufactured locally. If McLachlan’s goal is to build the next great New England clothier, shouldn’t he at least try to do the same?

This inkling turned into action when he met Leo, a Bridgeport local whose small business specializes in crafting complex figure skating costumes, but which had recently begun making ready to wear clothing for another nearby brand called dertbag. After working with her on some small batches of products, McLachlan asked what he could do to help grow their working relationship and in turn expand her capacities. She told him about the machines that would make the production process more efficient, which McLachlan promptly went out and bought. That investment (one McLachlan says is “well into the 6 figures”) means that today Manresa and Leo’s offices are connected by a newly installed door, her team has expanded to 6 people, and they are now cutting and sewing all of Manresa’s woven products. (I.e., button-up shirts, pants, and shorts.)

Inside the Manresa studio in Bridgeport, CT

The new factory and equipment have marked a major step for Manresa, but in many ways it’s still just the beginning. Right now things like sweatshirts, while still made in the United States, and rugby shirts, that are built in Canada, are beyond the Bridgeport studio’s capabilities. Despite these limitations, McLachlan’s ambitions, if anything, have only grown as a result of now seeing what’s possible. He says that one day he hopes to build a full-fledged factory in Bridgeport where everything in the range, from knits to wovens to denim, to the very fabric they’re built from, will be made in-house. He’s even open to the idea of owning or partnering with a local farm to grow the cotton that’ll eventually end up as Manresa clothing.

In the meantime, McLachlan says he’s loving every minute of learning what it takes to make a collection locally not just as some feel good story, or because of some misguided patriotism, but because it will simply lead to the best possible product. “Six months ago, I was banging my head against the wall, burnt the fuck out, and completely uninspired,” he says. “Now I'm just soaking up every little bit of information I can get. I’m really excited to get to work and learn all this really difficult shit, so it's done exactly what I wanted it to do—and it's been pretty fucking awesome.”

PART II: THE NEW “MANRESA GUARANTEE” COLLECTION

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