THE BRAND
WHO
A non-fiction fashion brand playing at the intersection of our public and private lives.
WHAT
We design wantable wearables with secrets to keep and stories to tell.
WHY
To help show you to the world.
Our pieces are built for the lives we lead when no one’s watching, and when everyone is.
Designed for the Boardroom/Bedroom. Dancefloor/Darkroom. With Family/At the Function. HOLD NYC creates high-functioning staples with a playful twist. Every garment is a wink, a nod, or a double meaning waiting to be noticed. We build clothes for how queer people actually live: transitional, intentional, coded. If you know, you know.
Founded by Holden Akerley, a former designer at Ralph Lauren and KITH, HOLD was inspired by a simple idea:
What if the structure and clarity of legacy fashion could be reimagined for queer lives? He set out to create a version that spoke to a different community. One that codeswitched. One that needed classics with a twist, staples with subtext.
So he made them.
Grounded in technical expertise (yes, including that Tokyo Olympics jacket), HOLD pieces carry concealed functionality and clever backstories. There’s structure here. Fit. Fabric. Pocket placement you’ll actually use. But also: stash spots, loaded linings, and design details that whisper more than they shout. Style as signal. Function as flirt.
We’re not in the business of fantasy. We’re here to elevate the reality you already live.
The one with office meetings and warehouse raves. With family brunches and late-night basement sets. Our pieces move through the day the same way you do: composed on the outside, maybe a little unhinged underneath.
