Grunge outfits for men: cheap jeans, an expensive cardigan

My stance: do not pay for the rips. Grunge began in Seattle in the mid 1980s as thrift store clothes worn until they gave out, and a CAD 383 pair of factory destroyed jeans misses the joke. Buy the denim cheap and spend on the cardigan, the one item the look was built around.

That cardigan is a real one. Kurt Cobain wore a green one on MTV Unplugged in New York in 1993, and men have been chasing it since.

Quick facts

• Ripped jeans: CAD 59 and CAD 383, read 5 November 2026 on within.
• Flannel shirts: CAD 200 new, CAD 300 pre owned, CAD 445 in cotton and wool.
• Cardigans: CAD 209 and CAD 980, both with mohair.
• Boots: CAD 209 and CAD 400.
• Shipping: both shops below ship to the US, the UK and Australia.
• When: grunge reached the runway in 1993, in Marc Jacobs' spring collection for Perry Ellis.

The flannel: brushed, soft, slightly too big

Gramicci's piled flannel shirt in sand is brushed 100% cotton, CAD 200 at Due West. It is the honest version: a work shirt from a climbing brand.

COOR's ombre flannel shirt in grey is 54% cotton and 46% wool, CAD 445. The wool makes it a shirt jacket, warm enough over a tee in October.

For a plaid with a wink, Amiri's ombre lurex oversized flannel, pre owned in size S, is CAD 300 at Utopia, a resale shop. The metallic thread is the opposite of grunge, which is why it works on a night out.

The cardigan: mohair, worn loose

Undercover's zip detail cardigan in grey is 56% mohair, CAD 980 at WDLT117, a designer shop. Mohair is the fuzzy, slightly shaggy yarn that makes a cardigan look lived in on day one.

COOR's hairy argyle cardigan in yellow mixes mohair, wool and alpaca, CAD 209. A loose yellow cardigan over a band tee gets you most of 1993 at about a fifth of the Undercover price.

Grunge was cheap clothes worn hard. Pay for the knit, not the rips.

The jeans: cheap, or not at all

Represent's Destroyer jeans in dark blue have ripped knees and cost CAD 59 in a size 36. That is the price grunge would recognise.

Purple Brand's P005 heavy destroyed jeans in light indigo are CAD 383. They are well made, with reinforced pockets and a button fly, and they are six times the price of the pair above for the same idea.

The boots

Carne Bollente, a Paris label founded in 2015, makes the Viron 1992 boot in black with an upper partly made from apple waste, CAD 209. It laces like a work boot and costs like one.

The louder choice is a lightly used pair of Balenciaga Steroid boots in size 8, CAD 400 at the resale shop.

How it went from Seattle to Paris

In 1993 Marc Jacobs showed a grunge collection for Perry Ellis, and Suzy Menkes answered with "Grunge is ghastly." A few years later Jacobs went to Louis Vuitton, and the look went back to the thrift stores where it started.

Both shops here ship to the US, the UK and Australia, per each product page on 5 November 2026. More of the look is in the punk and rock edit and men's jeans. Every few years a runway rediscovers grunge, and every time the cheapest version is still the best one.

Common questions

What is grunge style for men?

Flannel shirts, ripped jeans, band tees, loose cardigans and heavy boots, worn layered and a size big. Ripped Represent jeans are CAD 59 and a Gramicci flannel CAD 200, read 5 November 2026.

How do you dress grunge as a guy?

Start with a flannel over a plain or band tee, add loose ripped jeans and boots, then a mohair cardigan when it is cold. Keep it unironed.

What shoes go with grunge outfits?

Lace up work boots or combat boots in black or brown leather. Carne Bollente's Viron 1992 boot is CAD 209.

within carries the world's best boutique shelves. Toronto is open now and more cities follow. The quizzes will read your taste.