The Material Review

Issue 147: Shipping Forecast, Impractical Tools, Sumo Topknots, Luxe Stadiums, Old English Country Cottages, Secret Sauce, Spotlight On: ACL Golf Shop and Some Links.

Stories worth reading. Stop indexing the internet.

Why the Shipping Forecast endures

“The treasured broadcast seems like a relic from the past, but fractious geopolitics may save it from irrelevance” [The New Statesman]

The Most Impractical Tool in My Kitchen

“Carbon-steel knives are high-maintenance. And that’s the point.” [The Atlantic]

How the Sports Stadium Went Luxe

“Is the race to create ever more lavish spectator offerings in America’s largest entertainment venues changing the fan experience?” [The New Yorker]

Old English Country Cottages

“Drawings and paintings from a book published 120 years ago” [Live from California]

How America’s Hottest Chicken Chain Keeps Its Secret Sauce a Secret

“Raising Cane’s has a series of security protocols, including shipping ingredients in unmarked bags, to protect its moneymaker” [WSJ]

Can ‘radical honesty’ regain menswear customers’ trust?

“Transparency used to mean showcasing sustainability credentials. Now savvy brands are posting chummy behind-the-scenes social media content” [FT]

A shortlist of things we’ve got our eye on.

JACQUES MARIE MAGE + Ayrton Senna 1992 D-Frame

SERICA Expedition

Scrubba Wash Bag

Universal Works Green Harris Tweed Plaid Bakers Jacket

Viberg Roper

DSPTCH Unit Zipper Tote - Anniversary Edition

Chainstitch Hat in Green Corduroy

Hudson Sutler Chatham Duffel Bag

Shetland Wool Crewneck Sweater in Staffa

Hudson Sutler Canvas Weekender Bag

Milton Nascimento / Lô Borges: Clube Da Esquina Clube Da Esquina

Slop Evader — A browser extension for avoiding AI slop.

Diners of NYC

Letterform Archive — Access thousands of graphic design artifacts from anywhere in the world

Is your Casio F-91W a fake? — Comparing a genuine Casio F91-W with a fake

Chair Times — A History of Seating – From 1800 to Today