The Essentials With Chace Crawford: Morning Meditation, Cabo and the Perfect T-Shirt

Chace Crawford never thought of himself as a fashion guy, despite spending quite a bit of time on red carpets throughout his career. He’s learned the value of a good suit, but has always preferred effortless basics. And it was his search for the perfect T-shirt that led the actor to create American Dream Clubhouse, a modern clothing brand emphasizing movement and comfort. During the SAG strike in 2023, Crawford found himself with time off from his show, The Boys, and began talking to his friends Miles and Keleigh Teller about his idea to start his own clothing company. 

“Keleigh lit a fire under my ass,” Crawford tells Observer, speaking from Toronto where he is shooting the final season of The Boys. “I’m a T-shirt guy, and after we talked about it for six months or so, I realized I couldn’t find any good T-shirts that were reasonably priced and didn’t fall apart.” As he began developing the brand, Crawford quickly realized how much fun he was having pursuing a new challenge outside of Hollywood. 

“I was very naïve and new to the whole thing, which can lend itself to optimism,” he says. “It’s been a lot to juggle, but I’ve loved it. It felt like, 'I'm just going to jump out of this airplane and try and build a parachute on the way down.' I found the right people, and they knew what they were doing. We have a really great team, and I have great friends who are supporting it, like Keleigh and Miles. It’s been a really fun project.”

Crawford launched the initial products in June, with plans for more to come. So far, it includes two T-shirts, four polo shirts, a hoodie and a quarter-zip, all of which Crawford wears himself on a daily basis. He plans to roll out pants and shorts in the coming weeks, and workout gear in late summer.

“Our theme is ‘Made to Move,’” he says. “I'm always on the move. With our T-shirts, I wanted something that didn't wrinkle easily in a suitcase. You can do anything you want in these shirts. I wanted to speak to the guy who wanted a little bit more sophistication, but something that’s really functional and nice. Something that’s going to look nice no matter the situation. You can throw it on whenever you want, including in your suitcase or carry-on for a weekend away.”

The actor credits Keleigh Teller for the brand’s name, which invokes an inclusive, aspirational clubhouse for those who like to be active. “I like all types of sports, even sports I'm terrible at,” Crawford says. “I like to bike, golf, just be outdoors. Maybe we will move into other types of activities, like swimwear, in the future, too. We never want to put a ceiling on what the brand can do.”

Crawford debuted American Dream Clubhouse while in production for the fifth and final season of The Boys, which will premiere in 2026. It’s a big milestone for the actor, who plays Kevin Moskowitz/The Deep on the satirical superhero series. Although he’s still filming, Crawford can feel that the end is near. 

“When Gossip Girl ended, it was such a popular show, but I didn’t realize how much my identity had been wrapped up in the character of Nate and in the family we had built,” he says. “I was so young, and it felt like the rug had been pulled out from under me. I didn’t handle it well for four or five months after. With this, I need to ground myself more.”

He adds, of The Boys coming to an end, “It’s definitely bittersweet. I would have done another season after this and just kept going because it’s hard to find something that’s so fun. I have a great schedule because it’s an ensemble, so I’m not working all the time. The cast is great. And people watch it. It’s hard to find all of those things. But it does feel like we’re going out on top.”

Crawford sat down with Observer to share his essentials, including his favorite place to vacation and what he’s currently reading.