The Material Review

Issue 097: Fashion's Fly Fishing Obsession, American Woolen, 42 Years at the Beverly Hills Hotel Pool, Dale Earnhardt, Italy’s Fashion Families and J. Press x American Trench

Michael Williams

and

Taylor Stacey

Jun 07, 2025

Stories worth reading. Stop indexing the internet.

How fashion got obsessed with fly-fishing

“Fishing gear has long been function over form. And that may be just the reason brands want a piece.” [WaPo]

A Risky Plan Made in America

“Jacob Long bet his family, his livelihood and his personal philosophy about American craftsmanship on a textile mill in Connecticut.” [NYT]

The Man Who Spent Forty-two Years at the Beverly Hills Hotel Pool

“Nearly every day for decades, Irving V. Link tanned by the luxury pool. Then his idyllic life style came under threat from the hotel’s owner, the Sultan of Brunei.” [The New Yorker]

Dale Earnhardt's Grief Dressing

“I never thought I'd get schooled in mourning garb by a NASCAR hero.” [Esque]

Tariffs and Conglomerates Are Chasing Them. Italy’s Biggest Fashion Families Are Unfazed.

“Family-run Italian labels like Zegna, Tod’s and Brunello Cucinelli are clinging to homegrown independence—and an enviable work-life balance—in a luxury landscape that rewards scale.” [WSJ]