The Material Review

Issue 099: Made By Immigrants, Brian Wilson's Complex Style, American Mid, Small-Town Hardware Shops, The Magic of Feathers, The Last Linen Beetler, QMS Collab and Spotlight On: Beach Day.

Michael Williams

and

Taylor Stacey

Jun 14, 2025

Stories worth reading. Stop indexing the internet.

When It Comes to Clothes, ‘Made in USA’ Has Always Meant Made by Immigrants

“The recent ICE raids on Los Angeles’s Fashion District served as a potent reminder that immigrant labor has been the backbone of the American garment industry for generations.” [GQ]

Like His Music, Brian Wilson’s Style Was Deceptively Complex

“In Pendleton shirts and khakis, Mr. Wilson and the Beach Boys showed the world what easy Southern California living looked like.” [NYT]

American Mid: Hampton Inn’s Good-Enough Formula for World Domination

“Hampton has become the largest US chain, and a global export, by being rigorously OK. The waffle makers are standing by.” [Bloomberg]

The Power of a Small-Town Hardware Shop

“How Renfrow Hardware in Matthews, North Carolina, shaped one novelist’s stories” [Garden & Gun]

Engineers Are Racing to Harness the Dazzling Magic of Feathers. They Haven’t Solved the Mystery Just Yet

“The natural marvels, which do everything from enabling acrobatic flight to insulating against Antarctic cold, continue to inspire new designs and technologies” [Smithsonian Mag]

The last linen beetler of Ireland

“The traditional linen finishing method is endangered — but as saviours emerge, young designers are rediscovering the shimmering lustre of beetled fabric” [FT]