I grew up watching the men around me wear Filson and Carhartt long before it was cool. My grandfather owned a saw mill, and after he died, I took some of his flannel and denim shirts and re-cut and sewed them so I could wear them. These shirts were 30 years old — and had been put through 30 years of work — and they were still in spectacular condition. In design school they tell you to judge a garment from the inside out: different kinds of seams are more expensive, or require more skill or workmanship. I remember opening up these shirts and gasping: to find all flat felled seams and French seams — not an overlock stitch in sight. My grandfather died when I was still quite young, but I felt like I got to know him a little better in that moment, to know that he could see the beauty of a well-made, simple flannel shirt ❤️
