In Discussion: Pete Macnee Of Adsum

Founded in Brooklyn, New York in 2015 by Pete Macnee. Adsum was born when Pete (then working with Mark McNairy) decided to make a jacket he had in mind and used the production and manufacturing connections he had built up over time in New York. Drawing the line between classic outdoorswear and sportswear with styles mixing between the two, Adsum is inspired by the cities and the countryside of the American Northeast.

In conjunction with the release of their AW19 collection, we spoke to Pete about the new collection, graphic references, the upcoming Adsum store in Brooklyn and more…

Hi Pete, Firstly, thanks for taking the time to speak to us and congratulations on another strong season with the release of your AW19 collection, how has the initial reaction been and do you have a personal favourite piece?

Things have been going great so far thanks. We’ve changed to a split drop this FW season so only half our goods have hit stores and our website. Drop 2 will include some of the bigger outerwear pieces which I’m a big fan of. 
From the current delivery my favorite piece would be the T-Shirts. We spent a considerable amount of time reworking the T-Shirt block and making sure that there won’t be any shrinking, crocking or torquing. Every piece we make needs to be as close to perfect as possible. 

Is there anything you have been able to achieve within the new collection which you hadn’t previously?

Custom yarn dyed stripes in Drop 2. We’ve had a new supplier come into the fold which has two vertical operations. One is cut and sew wovens and the other is cut and sew knits. Instead of buying available fabrics in the textile market we’re making our own. It allows us to color match and choose the stripe pitches we want.  

One of our favourite pieces set to release in drop 2 is the Expedition Fleece which is made using Japanese milled taslan, what led you to using this particular fabric and did you draw inspiration from any outdoors fleeces from the past?

The taslan is used as the combination fabric on the expedition fleece. We added the taslan for a contrast pop of color and it give structure where needed at the center front placket and collar area. Even though polyester fleeces are trending at the moment, it’s a style that won’t ever leave my closet or the others that work at Adsum.

Graphic tees with strong references to sports and the outdoors has always been part of Adsum collections season in and out, where do you happen find your inspirations for these?

We’ve just done a blog post on Graphic tee inspiration so I’m going to plug the website! –  https://www.adsumnyc.com/blogs/news/fw19-graphics


A light smattering of graphic tees are important because they help to tell the seasonal collection story. We can take chances on colors on tees. You’ll catch at least one of us in a T-Shirt any day of the week. It’s part of our uniform. 

News is out that you guys will be opening your own flagship store soon in New York. Following on from a handful of pop ups shops, how does it feel to move into a permanent physical space?

We’re excited for the opportunity. It’s a big step in the right direction for the brand. People will now have a physical example of what Adsum is. I’m looking forward to showing you the buildout which we’ve considered quite deeply amongst ourselves.

Do you think a bricks and mortar location will enable you to further communicate the ethos of Adsum?


Bingo. That’s one of the main reasons we’re opening a store. Another reason is how we all like to shop. Buying online is fantastic but walking out of a store with a piece of clothing that you’ve tried on is an entirely different experience. Getting to interact with our customers is going to allow us to get to know them better. Adsum continues to be a work in progress so we’re constantly listening to feedback from people that are putting miles on our clothing.

Sport and the outdoors is big part of Adsums background, as a collective what sports are played on a regular basis within the team at Adsum?


Dog walking (Pete), Christian (Running), Matt (Hiking), Tommy (Skateboarding) Sports we wish we had organized games of : Soccer- Hockey – Basketball . We’ve been ejected from the last soccer league we joined.

Is your weekly soccer team still running?

Negative. We miss it. Tommy Wan, a relatively new member of Adsum brought pace to our team but we’re taking a break because leagues are competitive to get into. We’ll be getting it going again soon. Taking a break gives us a chance to heal up.

Lastly, do you have any recommendations for things to do in Brooklyn for our readers who may be visiting soon?


– Brouwerij Beer Emporium for a cold one

– St Anslem or Four Horsemen for an upscale dinner

– Bernies for a Burger and cheese sticks

– Walk over the Williamsburg bridge –

Check out Pilgrim Surf Shop- Partners Coffee for a cup of coffee

– Academy Record Annex for crate digging if it’s your thing

– Slice and Paulie Gees slice shop

Visit Adsum’s new store..

Drop 2 of the Adsum AW19 collection is online now.