Manhattan Knights is a luxury sportswear brand founded by up-and-coming Designer Samuel Murkofsky.

After dabbling in both screen printing and customizing vintage tees, the brand reemerged in 2015 as a satire on the growing streetwear trend.  The “Cease and Desist” collection, as it was coined, gave the brand it’s first mainstream breakthrough when Pop Queen, Madonna, was spotted sporting the “Just, Dont” Hoodie at the airport and was even photographed wearing it while she wrote, recorded and produced her most recent album, Madame X.

His Cease and Desist line has since been requested and sent to major recording artists including Post Malone and Halsey as well as seen on celebrities such as Amber Rose, Nico Tortorella and Carole Radziwell.  The collection also garnered the attention of New York Times Fashion, WWD, Elle, and InStyle among others.

From the jump, it was important that Manhattan Knights embody the city while also supporting  other New York small businesses.  Printing the tongue in cheek, or “tongue in chic" as we like to say, merch pieces of the “Cease and Desist” collection in Harlem was a great starting point. However, as the name implies, it was just the beginning of what Murkofsky envisioned for the brand. 

The name Manhattan Knights, in fact, was conceived in the days and weeks following 9/11, to express the growing pride he had in being a native New Yorker.  The sense of connection and togetherness that surpassed any divide of race, class, gender or culture is the core of what it means to be a New Yorker and what Manhattan Knights embodies.

Inspired by these principles, Sam set out to create cut and sew collections that are shaped by his experiences growing up in New York.  Using his ten plus years of experience in luxury retail Sam saw a space for pieces that were genderless and easy to wear while maintaining the level of luxury and detail seen in designer collections. All the while, avoiding the typical cliche of over styled pieces that age within a season.

Nods to his prep school upbringing, such as replicating the pattern of his friends Hewitt skirt, were mixed with oversized hoodies and leather jackets.  In capturing the overlapping styles of his youth, Sam hoped to share part of the magic that is growing up in Manhattan. Sam was able to distill his unique NY style into something new, while painting the distinct dark humor of the brand.

Both the Manhattan Knight’s merch and collection pieces are now available at a range of local small business retail stores as well as online. You can even catch us featured in the world’s first genderless store windows. The collections are unisex, ageless, and are transitional with each season.

They are designed to fit different sizes and shapes of the human form yet unique enough to attract the discerning eye. While some of the more editorial of the Manhattan Knights’ collection might be for a more advanced fashion enthusiast, we pride ourselves on making pieces that also transition from a night out to a brunch at Sarabeth’s. You might catch us in our sweats leaving the gym or in our Sunday best picking up bagels from Zabars. 

Welcome to high fashion with a heavy dose of snark.