The Material Review

Issue 192: Post Oaks, Priceless Patina, Driftwood Skyscraper, Everlane, Power Tools, Knicks Fans T-Shirts, The Hotel Blanding and Q&A w/ James Fox of Crockett & Jones.

Michael Williams and Taylor Stacey

May 30, 2026

Stories worth reading. Stop indexing the internet.

Why Genuine Patina is Personal, and Priceless

“What objects capable of withstanding time and frequent use have to offer.” [Untapped]

clear barbeque smoke and a table with matches and a mitt

Tree of Life

“Are there enough post oaks to sustain Texas barbecue?” [Oxford American]

Insane Coastal California Driftwood Skyscraper

“Gone now, but WOW!” [Lloyd Kahn]

Everlane and the Death of the “Good” Millennial Life-Style Brand

“The retailer once embodied a hope that clothes could be mass-manufactured and high-quality. Now it’s owned by the fast-fashion giant Shein.” [New Yorker*]

11,673 Broken Power Tools Royalty-Free Images, Stock Photos & Pictures | Shutterstock

Your Power Tools Got Worse On Purpose

“How TTI and Stanley Black & Decker took the same playbook in opposite directions.” [Worse on Purpose]

You Can Give Knicks Fans T-Shirts. But Will They Wear Them? Well …

“In arenas all across the league, N.B.A. fans embrace the monochrome T-shirt as a way to show team spirit. New Yorkers aren’t having it.” [NYT*]

The Great Hotel Blanding

“It’s getting harder and harder to tell the difference between a $300-a-night room and one that costs many times that.” [Bloomberg*]

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

Junior’s Blue Stripe Oxford Cloth Button-Down Sport Shirt

Phigvel Poplin Cloth Utility Jacket - Faded Olive

J. Crew Extra-large Seaport tote bag in canvas

James Fox of Crockett & Jones

Cutting out the BS in a sea of oversaturation has been on our minds lately — Crockett & Jones is a good answer to that. The firm has been making shoes in Northampton since 1879. Family-owned, still running the same factory, still doing Goodyear welt construction the way they always have. We recently sat down with Head of Marketing James Fox to talk about lasts, his Frankensteined Chelsea boots, and what the future holds for the brand.

What’s the secret to the longevity of Crockett & Jones?

If you mean our products it’s down to two things. Materials and the skilled hands of those who make our shoes. But if you are referring to Crockett & Jones as a whole, there is no secret. Most luxury goods companies spend millions trying to buy it, or fake it, and it boils down to one thing: Authenticity.

Obviously, in a family-owned and run business that spans more than 140 years, you need some luck, but for authenticity, we have a great springboard for pretty much every decision the family ever need to make. Product, keep it authentic. Materials, keep it authentic. Skilled staff and their training keep it authentic. Marketing and Sales, keep it authentic. Keeping everything authentic and honest resonates deeply with our customers, and nothing demonstrates this better than last year’s data: 60% of our annual turnover comes from repeat business. So, unless we sell out to a luxury goods firm, we plan on keeping everything as authentic as the world will allow.

So if longevity comes from a mindset of authenticity, short-termism comes from the opposite. Being an independent family management team allows us to prioritise quality of profits. If we try to force it, fake it, or veer from our path with the mindset of making quick profits by cutting corners, increasing margins, or outsourcing production, we start thinking short-term. Short-term thinking always comes from those who stand to gain something from it, not from those who are trying to build century-old, multi-generational businesses. If you want to be around for a long time, think long-term.

What’s the first pair of shoes you remember genuinely caring about?

Oddly, the first pair of shoes, boots in fact, that I genuinely cared about was the one pair of boots in my collection (that’s a lie) that requires absolutely no care whatsoever. It was and still is a pair of Chelsea 5s in Rough Out Suede that I had turned into Chelsea 11. The guys in the making room added a storm well for me, the only difference between 5 and 11. They’re not supposed to be able to do it, but they managed to pinch enough material from the seat (heel) to make it an all-rounder storm welt. I prefer it.

As I graduated through the collection, owning so many different styles from the very best antique calf special orders to unlined dark brown suede loafers, I quickly realised that there is a totally different side to Crockett & Jones that wasn’t really being spoken about or promoted. And that comes from the Head of Marketing! It was a bit of an epiphany moment for the wider company and me.

At the time, I was travelling the world on behalf of the company, mainly in Asia, where Crockett & Jones, as our logo says, is thought of as ‘Makers of Fine Shoes Since 1879’. Whilst this is true and at the time was the backbone of sales, Crockett & Jones is so much more than ‘just’ makers of fine shoes. Since owning, wearing, enjoying, and beating up my bulletproof modified-Chelsea 5s throughout many UK winters, I have spent years making others aware of this very different, and arguably more enjoyable side to Crockett & Jones.

The last determines almost everything. Is there one in your range that never quite got the appreciation it deserved?

The 371. It came shortly after the 363, so it features the updated back part with excellent fitting. The 371 however is an extremely aggressive walled last. The sharpest in the collection. It produces an almost Germanic/Austrian-looking forepart with a sort of American vibe! Tough to explain, but it’s making a comeback this Autumn Winter! I am super excited as it has produced one of the best-looking boots I have ever seen from C&J.

What’s the most important decision in making a shoe that nobody ever asks about?

There are thousands of decisions and 200+ operations that go into making every pair. From a media perspective, it is the last. Not everyone is as knowledgeable as you, Michael, and I genuinely cannot remember the last time a menswear magazine or website asked about the famous Crockett & Jones lasts!

From a customer’s perspective, the unsung hero of every Goodyear welted shoe is probably the insole and cork filler. It sounds so trivial, but it’s what your foot sits on hour after hour, day after day. We only use the highest quality insoles that are cut from leather bends (half of a hide), in house, in our own preparation department, which is essentially a factory within a factory. This way, we remain in full control of the quality. We never use leatherboard because it is cheap and doesn’t last very long. The cork filler is the material that sits between the sole and the insole. The unsung hero of comfort as the insole mould to the shape of your foot.

What’s a Crockett & Jones style that deserves more appreciation?

There are a few. The collection is full of some really attractive-looking shoes that probably get overlooked because they are in such esteemed company. Chukka 4 is a relatively new Chukka on the new wedge sole, and Dover an equally new Derby. Both are made on the new 394 last, which Jonathan Jones hailed as his best-fitting last to date. Neither have done brilliantly which has surprised me. The other style that caught me out was Falmouth. Personally, I think it’s one of the best-looking boat styles in the world. Maybe it’s the price for this type of shoe, but needless to say, it’s a really nice-looking shoe and an easy alternative to a Loafer.

What’s changed about the menswear conversation over the last ten years that you’ve found most interesting?

The acceptance of casual wear in the workplace. The death and rebirth of tailoring and the breaking down of menswear silos. Mixing styles and clothing is accepted, and it’s encouraging men to be more adventurous with their own personal style.

The two-piece and three-piece suits seem to be making a comeback of late, but over the past decade, the decline in formal workwear has been systemic to the great benefit of businesses like Crockett & Jones. We do smart-classic and smart-casual really well.

In my opinion, WFH has had a greater impact on menswear than anything in its history. And from our perspective, it paved the way for growth of our boot collection and it drove us to develop more unlined suede, and more flexible and comfortable Loafers.

Is there a craftsman or maker, in shoes or anywhere else, whose work you’ve been paying attention to lately?

I like what Alex is doing over at Beorma Leather. He’s a good guy with a great story. They have a long way to go, but he has the right mentality. As long as he doesn’t try to run too quickly and he focuses on building a strong D2C sales channel with some great products, he’ll build a really nice business.

What will the future hold for Crockett & Jones?

For now, we are confident that the future is bright. The factory is the key. Materials is a constant battle, and making sure we have the next generation of skilled staff in the factory is an everyday concern. Even sourcing parts for machines is getting harder and harder, but nothing is impossible. The factory is a little under max capacity at the moment which gives us room to grow D2C production and support our existing retail stores and E-commerce channels which have been trading really well again since the global pandemic. We have such a great customer base who, over the years, have really bought into Crockett & Jones, and appreciate us as a shoe manufacturer and a brand.

It’s really hard to know what the next decade or two look like if the last decade is anything to go by. Global economies and conflicts makes global trading far more complicated that it should be, and the barrage of negativity from governmental jostling makes the local market uncertain. We are still in the infancy of AI, which will bring pros and cons I am sure. AI cannot produce a pair of Goodyear welted shoes, but it can help raise customer awareness. I think a bigger concern with AI is the global and financial instability that it might bring.

For now though, we are confident that demand for quality remains strong and we are confident that our customers appreciate our shoes, and the pride and passion that goes into producing them.

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