The Past Was Also Bad

Let's be clear: the 1950s sucked. The 1970s sucked differently but equally. Every decade we romanticize was terrible for most people living through it. And yet here we are, buying canvas jackets modeled after what factory workers wore in 1943.

Why? Because at least the past is finished. It can't get worse. It's already happened.

Workwear for People Who Don't Work (With Their Hands)

The irony of heritage workwear isn't lost on anyone. We pay $400 for denim that mimics what actual laborers wore when denim cost $4. We fetishize "honest craftsmanship" while sitting at laptops producing nothing tangible.

But the appeal isn't really about work. It's about the fantasy of work that mattered. Of making things that lasted. Of a social contract that still functioned.

Your selvedge jeans won't bring that back. They'll just last longer than your job will.

Authenticity as Product Category

"Authenticity" stopped meaning anything the moment it became marketable. Now it's just another feature to list alongside "full-grain leather" and "made in Portugal."

Real authenticity would be admitting that we're buying expensive reproductions because it feels better than facing forward. But that doesn't move product.

The Archive That Never Was

Brands love to reference their "archives." The original patterns. The vintage specs. The way it was made before corners were cut.

Most of these archives are reconstructed mythology. The past gets curated, sanitized, and repackaged for modern consumption. We're not buying history—we're buying a cleaned-up version where all the exploitation and inequality have been photoshopped out.

But the stitching is nice.

Built to Last (Unlike Everything Else)

Here's the thing about "built to last" as a selling point: it only matters if you believe there's a future worth lasting into. Otherwise it's just buying durable goods for the collapse.

Which, honestly, isn't the worst strategy.

What We're Actually Selling

We're selling the aesthetic of a world that made sense. Where things were built to specifications that meant something. Where craftsmanship wasn't a luxury marketing term.

That world is gone. Probably never existed in the first place.

But the clothes are still well-made.

Spring collection inspired by better times that weren't actually better.