The Material Review
Issue 195: The Real McCoy’s, Om Malik on the Fashion Biz, Country Life, Tony Kornheiser's Pinto, Last Glover Makers of Naples, Men Who Lie About Their Height and Q&A w/ Radcliff Menge of Tom Beckbe.
Stories worth reading. Stop indexing the internet.
The Real McCoy’s Edition
“On fidelity, Americana, and moving beyond reproduction.” [WITI]
Clothes Are Nice. Fashion Biz, Not As Much!
[Om]
A posh and peculiar British magazine is thriving
“The unusual pleasures of ‘Country Life’” [The Economist]
Hell on Wheels
“No Pinto was going to make a flame-broiled burger out of me.” [New Times]
The last glove makers of Naples
[FT*]
The Men Who Lie About Their Height
“From guys trying to make it past women’s six-foot filter on dating apps to basketball players hoping to get drafted, men continue to exaggerate how tall they are.” [The New Yorker*]
A shortlist of things we’ve got our eye on.
OMTC Nº240 Handwoven Surplus Utility Shirt
Ballparks: Past & Present
Walker & Wells AUTHENTIC TOTE BAG #190
Quaker Marine Supply Cotton Linen Variable Stripe Shirt in Atlantic Blue
Ray-Ban® Wayfarer® polarized sunglasses
Monostereo Moondance Barn Jacket
Radcliff Menge of Tom Beckbe
Over the past decade, Radcliff Menge has built Tom Beckbe from a single waxed jacket into one of the more interesting sporting brands in America.
We caught up with Radcliff to talk about building a company from scratch, what most people misunderstand about field clothing, why sporting culture continues to resonate beyond the field, and the stranger he almost ran into in midtown Manhattan wearing a Tensaw Jacket.
Starting an independent clothing brand from scratch is usually a bad idea. What made you do it anyway?
Naivete.
We didn’t start out thinking about building a whole brand. We sold one product in five sizes and two colors for over two years before I quit my regular job. The real turning point was realizing how much more people wanted from Tom Beckbe. So we figured, how hard could it be to build out a whole line? It turns out that the answer is: pretty hard. We’ve just been fortunate enough to strike a chord with folks, and that’s a pretty great reward for the journey. It is not a short trip, though, so interested travelers beware.
Where does sporting culture sit in menswear right now? Is the interest coming from the activity itself, or from the aesthetic?
I’m not sure the aesthetic makes sense in a vacuum. It’s utilitarian. There has to be at least a passing interest in the purpose behind the apparel if only to understand why it exists. And that is really a search for authenticity. The good news is that, if you go all the way and start hunting and fishing, there’s incredibly rich and deep culture waiting for you. And the pursuit is incredibly compelling, both on an individual and shared level. So maybe the answer is — it’s real, compelling, and accessible. All you have to do is dive in.
When did you realize Tom Beckbe was connecting with people outside the sporting world?
We’ve had our fair share of cross-cultural moments, but one stands out. I almost ran into a guy wearing a Tensaw Jacket in a crosswalk in midtown Manhattan a few years ago. I gave him a knowing smile and kept moving.
Tom Beckbe reads as a much bigger operation than it actually is. Is that something you find yourself having to explain?
I certainly take it as a compliment both to the brand and to the incredibly talented team here.
How do you think about Tom Beckbe in relation to other legacy outdoors brands? What are you trying to do differently?
We are intensely focused on our customers and how they incorporate traditional and legacy materials into their modern life.
I don’t have an inside view of legacy brands that have been around for much longer than Tom Beckbe. But it’s not hard to imagine the weight of their institutional memory and how that can affect innovation. Think of all of the inertia behind doing something because you have, quite literally, always done it that way.
The historical context of the category is important, but it should be a reference and not limiting. The materials work, and that’s why people continue to love them. That doesn’t mean the garments shouldn’t be designed with a current fit and utility. Of course, we will always celebrate the heritage of the category along with the great traditions around field sports. But our gear is meant to be worn for real outdoor use today.
What does a jacket need to do that most people who haven’t actually worn one in the field don’t think about?
Movement is absolutely the most critical element. Whether you’re casting a rod or shooting a gun, you need to be able to raise your arms. We engineer a lot of movement into the shoulders, back, and underarm so that you can be comfortably active. We also try to be mindful of the need for pockets without overdoing it. Chest pockets are great if you are wading and fishing, but they are not great for shooting. We really try to design each piece into a specific use category and let the mobility and utility evolve from there.
Who outside the outdoor world is doing something similar, making things that work hard and still look right?
There’s a lot of great western and workwear out there. They certainly work hard. Beauty is in the eye, so I’ll let other folks decide if they look right.
What do you wear when you’re not in the field?
Obviously I’m biased, but I wear Tom Beckbe pretty much every day. We have a full line of casual clothing that’s perfect in a lodge, traveling, or around town. I complement my regular Tom Beckbe wardrobe with Levi’s 511s, Alden boots and loafers, and tailored clothing from J. Meuser. I have an LL Bean down vest that was my dad’s in the 1970s that gets some air time in fall. But our casual items really are a nice expression of how I dress on a daily basis, particularly this time of year when we have so much heat and humidity in Alabama.
Outside of Tom Beckbe, what’s something you’ve bought recently that you enjoy?
I cook daily with a Smithey Ironware carbon steel pan. Down with non-stick. I buy duck calls from RNT in Stuttgart, Arkansas. They are the best in the business, in my opinion, and RNT is run by a husband and wife team who are just fabulous people. Pinhook “Vertical Series” rye and bourbon whiskies might have the best value-to-quality ratio going, which is saying something given their not inexpensive price points. I recently picked up a navy blazer from Officine Generale that is probably the best fitting off-the-rack tailored piece I’ve ever bought.