Most of us can’t even hear the word “cardigan” without picturing Mr. Rogers coming home to exchange his suit jacket and dress shoes for one of his zip-up cardigans and a pair of sneakers. Most authors that write histories of this favorite casual sweater act stunned that Mr. Rogers favorite item of clothing was invented by the military. But for those of us better-versed in menswear history, it’s no surprise that the cardigan was a military invention, because… well, most pieces of men’s clothing wouldn’t exist today if not for their military application.

The far more interesting angle in the cardigan story is not that the unassuming sweater gained fame for its role in one of the most disastrous cavalry charges of all time, but its position in women’s fashion. It was Coco Chanel who, was probably a Nazi collaborator, but it’s pretty clear she helped bring the cardigan to the masses and it was women who made cardigans cool.

Brands mentioned:

• Inverallan Knitters (also at Clutch Cafe)
• Dehen 1920
• Beams Plus
• Drakes
• J.Press

Today’s episode featured writing from Albert Muzquiz in “From Cavalry to Coco Chanel: The Cardigan Unbuttoned” on Heddels.com and the production talents of Sean Thornton

When you imagine an Air Force pilot, the first image that probably comes to mind is the dashing World War II-era captain in impossibly high-waisted khakis and a brown leather bomber jacket. But you might be surprised to learn then that the first time the U.S. Air Force issued a leather jacket was in 1987.

So this is a technicality I’m exploiting, but the U.S. Air Force didn’t exist as a separate branch of the military until 1947. Before then, it was a part of the U.S. Army Air Corps and then U.S. Army Air Forces, which issued its last leather jacket in 1943.

But the legacy of this jacket just wouldn’t die so the Air Force brought back a retro piece of equipment over 40 years later due to a combination of Hollywood, one dedicated collector, and deregulation of the airlines, which we’re going to get into in today’s Blowout.

Brands mentioned:

• Cockpit USA
• Good Wear Leather
• Buzz Rickson's
• The Real McCoy's

If you liked what you’ve been hearing, please let us and other people know. Our email address is [email protected] and we are also getting our discord fired up again so you can bother me directly if you like.

Join our Discord server here: https://discord.gg/KHA5qvKb

Today’s episode featured writing from “⁠Why the Air Force Brought Back the A-2 Leather Jacket” by me on Heddels.com and the production talents of Sean Thornton with the theme musical talents of Andrew Ryan.

Thank you to our season sponsor, Meermin.

It’s been a long time since our last collaborative product, but we’re back with a bang. We’ve joined forces with Crown Northampton to launch the Grand Union Wholecut Sneaker, a denim & leather sneaker built to last for years and earn unique fades along the way.

But there is much more to this Union than denim and leather – there’s a laundry list of world-class materials, shoemaking expertise, and Northamptonshire heritage in each pair. We visited Crown Northampton to finalize the design and the Grand Union Wholecut turn from a concept into what is arguably the world’s strongest denim sneaker.

Hear from David and James as well as fifth generation shoemaker and head of Crown Northampton Chris Woodford about how we brought this unique sneaker to the finish line and how you can fade out a pair yourself!

Link to buy: https://crownnorthampton.com/en-us/collections/grand-union-sneaker

Today we’re talking about loafers. Those do-nothing idlers who just sit around all day and the leisurely leather shoe that’s come to be named after them.

Yes, the penny, the tassel, even the horsebit. These footwear icons might seem like timeless classics, but they are the result of a relatively recent cross-cultural exchange of mutually beneficial cultural appropriation.

So slide in, slip on, and get ready for a relaxing ride along Loafer Lane.

Brands mentioned:

• Aurlands
• Meermin
• Rancourt
• Alden
• Grant Stone

So this is the end piece of our loaf on loafers and the end piece of this first experimental season. Thank you for listening and learning along with me.

If you liked what you’ve been hearing, please let us and other people know. Our email address is [email protected] and we are also getting our discord fired up again so you can bother me directly if you like.

Today’s episode featured writing from “The Lowdown on Loafers - From American to Norway and Back Again” by Albert Muzquiz on Heddels.com and the production talents of Sean Thornton with the theme musical talents of Andrew Ryan.

That’s right, this is a denim episode! Longtime listeners will remember our 13-part, 7-hour audio epic about the history of denim where we covered 500 years of history of our favorite fabric.

Relax, we’re not doing that again. That was a graduate level seminar, instead, this is denim 101 and by the end of it you should have all the tools and info needed to make an informed purchase and join the wonderful fraternity of people who talk about their jeans way too much.

If you only know whispers of the discomfort associated with raw denim, the supposed high cost, or even about people putting their jeans in the freezer or wearing them to the beach, then this is for you.

Brands mentioned:

• Levi’s

• Left Field
• Hiroshi Kato
• Tilden

Today’s episode featured writing from “The Essential Raw Denim Breakdown” by yours truly on Heddels.com and the producing talents of Sean Thornton and theme music by Andrew Ryan.

If you have any questions, comments, feedback or suggestions for other topics, email us at [email protected].

Today we’re talking polarization.

I’m not talking about the bears, Santa Claus, or the state of global politics. Rather something a bit more anodyne, and seasonally appropriate, cool shades!

You may have heard of the many benefits of polarized sunglasses, how they reduce glare, let you see through the surface of water, or make it easier to drive. But why? How? Where to find?

There isn’t that much technical information for consumers explaining how they work or the very different quality of materials they can be made from. But listen on and you’ll soon be an expert on all things polarized!

• Serengeti

They say all clothing is a type of language. Even refusing to participate in the conversation is a way to say something.

Whether you’re in a top hat and tails or Canadian tuxedo or naked, it’s all saying something about you and how you chose to present yourself.

But some clothes speak a little louder than others. Today we’re talking about arguably the loudest and most explicit of them all. That’s right, it’s graphic tee time, the shirt that literally spells out its message for you right across your chest for anyone who cares to read it.

They may feel like the most ubiquitous item in the world, and that’s because they are with an estimated 8 billion of them produced every year, but they’ve been around for less than a hundred years.

Brands mentioned:

• BARNS
• Buzz Rickson
• The Real McCoy’s
• Human Made

Hi, I’m Heddels publisher David Shuck.

You may remember me from previous Heddels podcasts like our History of Denim series, the Rise and Fall of Made in USA, and the one where Reed, Albert, and I just shot the breeze for an hour every week. 

I’ve been writing about owning things you want to use forever for well over a decade now. I’ve been everywhere from downtown Los Angeles to the deserts of Pakistan to understand where and how to find quality goods and the history of the people that make them.

I’ve written and edited thousands of articles on jeans, boots, backpacks, bandanas, and nearly anything else made of cloth and leather. And, looking back, there are a few topics that I want to go a little deeper on in this new seasonal podcast series.

Each episode, we’ll tackle a single item, whether that’s huarache sandals, Type II denim jackets, or the cast iron frying pan and I promise that by the end of it you’ll know:

• Why it’s important

• Where it came from

• How it’s made

• Who’s making them today

• How to take care of it

• And, the real reason people listen to podcasts, at least three fun facts you can share at parties

We’ll be releasing these in mini-seasons with items appropriate to the weather, at least in the northern hemisphere (sorry Australians!)

This first episode is about Madras, the Indian fabric that’s really only famous in the US because Brooks Brothers cleverly remarketed a bad batch of it in the 50s. Let me know what you think and if you have any topics you’d like to hear about by emailing us at [email protected], I hope you enjoy.

Brands mentioned:

• The Original Madras Trading Company
• J.Press
• Gitman Bros. Vintage
• Iron Heart
• Beams Plus

Read the full article by Albert Muzquiz here: https://www.heddels.com/2018/05/history-madras-fabric/

Production by Sean Thornton and theme music by Andrew Ryan.

Hey guys, thanks for waiting!

Reed, Albert and I (David) are back with a new off-Heddels podcast called Neverrong and we thought you might want to hear about it.

Neverrong is a fashion and culture show where we breakdown a topic that's trending in the world today and explore where it came from, where it's going, and how much carbon it's probably putting into the atmosphere.

This is our first episode on Trucker Hats, but you can find a bunch more on our Substack and on Spotify, Apple, etc etc. Thanks for your support over the years!

On this week’s Blowout… REED’S CORNER IS OFFICIALLY COOKED. Or at least the corner of Birkenstock Boston’s and Able to Buy Whenever. (Spoiler: He blames TikTok.) But because discovery is often generated out of necessity and Bostons are officially Pop Music now, that also means mules are Mainstream™, which has forced — yes, forced — us to investigate some alternative options in the Big Comfort footwear category. And guess what? Alongside oversized everything and a near-extinction event for hard-bottoms, the Mule Market is thriving my guys.

Also: We answer some listener questions from the Discord and probably talk about other things, but don’t worry it’s mostly Mules.

Links:

​​What Smoking Slippers Talk About When They Talk About Smoking