Document and Entity Information - shares	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2020	Nov. 06, 2020
Document And Entity Information [Abstract]
Document Type	10-Q
Document Period End Date	Sep. 30, 2020
Entity Registrant Name	XCel Brands, Inc.
Entity Filer Category	Non-accelerated Filer
Title of 12(b) Security	Common Stock, $0.001 par value per share
Trading Symbol	XELB
Security Exchange Name	NASDAQ
Entity Current Reporting Status	Yes
Entity Interactive Data Current	Yes
Entity Small Business	true
Entity Emerging Growth Company	false
Entity Shell Company	false
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding		19,231,040
Amendment Flag	false
Entity Central Index Key	0001083220
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2020
Document Fiscal Period Focus	Q3
Current Fiscal Year End Date	--12-31