The Material Review
Issue 165: Willie Colón, Shakers, Dark Breakfast, Sid Mashburn Q&A, Asafo Military Flags, Snow Men, Pumpernickel Bagels, USA Hockey Jersey Shortage and Spotlight On: Red Wing Abroad.
Stories worth reading. Stop indexing the internet.
Willie Colón Played Up the Bad Guy With Purpose
“By styling himself after mobsters and blaxploitation characters early in his career, Mr. Colón, the legend of salsa music who died on Saturday, crafted an everlasting image.” [NYT]
A Shaker Revival Points to Something Deeper Than a Trad Obsession
“A critically acclaimed film and major museum survey find more in the history and culture of the Shakers than benches, brooms and bonnets.” [Bloomberg]
The Hunt for Dark Breakfast
“Breakfast is a vector space. You can place pancakes, crepes, and scrambled eggs on a simplex where the variables are the ratios between milk, eggs, and flour. We have explored too little of this manifold. More breakfasts can exist than we have known.” [Ryan Moulton’s Articles]
Menswear Maestro Sid Mashburn on Collecting Vinyl, Cold Showers, and His Beloved Rolex Explorer
Once a symbol of resistance, the Asafo military flag is flying once again
“As radical as they are radiant, the Ghanaian banners are now highly collectible” [HTSI]
Snow Men
“Outside the Clubhouse, But Still Dealing with the Flakes” [Museum of Baseball Wire Photos]
Dark, Dense, and Disappearing
“How pumpernickel bagels became an endangered species.” [Grub Street]
Having trouble finding Team USA hockey jerseys to buy? You’re not alone
A shortlist of things we’ve got our eye on.
Oyster Temper Pro
ORSLOW Super Dad’s Straight-Leg Jeans
Manastash Mt. Gorilla Waterproof Fleece Jacket
RUX Duffel Box (Kickstarter]
Uniqlo Chino Pants
Red Wing Abroad
2927 Sawmill
9196 Postman Chukka
8203 Roughneck
9060 Beckman Flatbox
9193 Postman Oxford / GORE-TEX®
87520 Chop Top Moc Toe
Classifieds
Welcome to our weekly “Classifieds” section of the newsletter. The idea is to find an easy way to promote things happening in our ecosystem. Think of this space to promote your eBay shop, event, newsletter, app, book, tool or your personal brand (if you must). Drop us a line at if you’re interested in buying an item in an upcoming issue. Price: $200 for four ads. Maximum 280 character per ad.
🛒 EasyMoc Priority Access Sale
Select styles, select sizes left, all sales final. Get them while they last!
🛒 American Trench Seasonal Sale
The seasonal sale is live. Made-to-last American-made staples, now 30% off or more. Limited quantities, no restocks, and no further discounts. Save more on our most recent styles.
🛒 Big Rock Candy Mountaineering FW25 Sale
All sale/off-season items are final sale. Discount automatically applied at checkout.