Johnnie O is a menswear brand that's established themselves as a combination of east coast prep and west coast casual, branding the style as West Coast Prep. It's strong branding, the company is reaching customers through traditional means of selling to retailers, while also growing a strong direct-to-consumer business via a Shopify website and catalogs.

The brand is the latest addition to our Uncommon Brands list and is included in the list of the most popular direct-to-consumer brands at emprezzo. Johnnie-O has a strong presence on both Instagram and Facebook, and smaller followings on Pinterest and Twitter.

The Johnnie O brand first came across my radar on Nantucket ~5 years ago, when my wife gave me a polo she bought at the Haul Over. Since then, I've received more Johnnie-O items as gifts, and recently purchased a new zip top from their website. The catalog arrived in my mail the other day, and aside from reminding me of being back home on Nantucket, it struck me how many products the brand now offers. What began with polos has expanded into a full line of men's clothing. (It's a path I'm familiar with, though decidedly less successful

Johnnie O is well on its way to becoming a new staple of men's casual wear, as brands like J Crew fade. With a strong direct-to-consumer presence through it's site and catalog and its own 'west coast prep' style and voice, it's poised to grow. It's on our list of uncommon brands, and is well worth emulation by other direct to consumer brands.