Happy Friday Amigos,

Welcome to the next edition of JM’s Weekly Roundup. A quick hit of what’s new at La Matera and a few things that’ve popped up on my radar lately.

Derby weekend is here, so leaning into that a bit this week. Good excuse for a sharper belt, a solid pour, and a couple hours parked in front of the TV.

TL;DR:

• La Matera Highlight: The Exótico Trigo, a polished Derby-ready belt

• Worth a Watch: Kentucky Derby — tradition, style, and two minutes of chaos

• Worth a Pour: Buffalo Trace & Eagle Rare — two classics worth keeping on hand

• Brand I’m Eyeing: Clayton & Crume — Louisville-based leathergoods company, doing it the right way

• Weekend Wisdom: From The Old Man and the Sea — appreciate what’s already in front of you

1. La Matera Highlight – La Gran Reserva: Exótico Trigo

With the Derby weekend here, it felt like a good time to highlight one of our sharper Polo styles. The La Gran Reserva – Exótico Trigo has a warm tan base with tonal detailing that brings texture and depth without overplaying it. It carries a polished feel, but still works just as well with denim once the jacket comes off.

This one has a little Kentucky energy to it. Refined, confident, and ready for an occasion. If you’re dressing for the weekend, this belt can carry its share of the load.

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2. Worth a Watch – Kentucky Derby

The Derby is one of those things I’ll tune into every year. Part race, part tradition, part social occasion. Tough formula to mess up. There’s something cool about an event that still feels like an event. Big hats, high fashion, mint juleps, old rituals, and two minutes of total madness once the gates open.

Always worth watching.

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3. Worth a Pour – Buffalo Trace & Eagle Rare

Felt right to lean into bourbon this week. I’ve always been partial to Buffalo Trace and Eagle Rare. Both come out of the same distillery down in Frankfort, Kentucky, but they’ve each got their own lane. Buffalo Trace is easy, balanced, dependable. Eagle Rare takes a little more time, aged longer and a bit more refined. What I’ve always appreciated is the consistency. That distillery has been through fires, floods, Prohibition, and everything in between, and they’re still doing things the way they know how. Not a bad way to ease into a Derby weekend. Worth noting, I read Pappyland a few years back, if history and bourbon is your thing, Wright Thompson put together a great one for you.

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4. Brand I’m Eyeing – Clayton & Crume

Staying on the Kentucky theme, I’ve been keeping up with what my buddies Tyler and Clay are building over at Clayton & Crume. I’ve known those guys for a year or two now and I’m always cheering for them. They get it. They run their own factory out in Louisville, make everything here in the USA, and have built a really solid team around them.

You can tell they care about the details and about doing things the right way.

Game respect game.

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5. Weekend Wisdom – The Old Man and the Sea

“Now is no time to think of what you do not have. Think of what you can do with what there is.” – Ernest Hemingway

I come back to The Old Man and the Sea pretty regularly. It’s probably the one book I’d take with me to a desert island if I could only pick one. This line stuck out again this time around. I’m usually ground zero for wanting the next thing. The new tool, the new project, the next milestone, selling a million more belts.

Ambition is a good thing, but every once in a while it’s worth stepping back and appreciating what’s already in front of you. What you’ve built. What you have to work with.

Feels like a good reminder heading into the weekend.

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Enjoy the Derby, have a good pour, and make the most of the weekend. Appreciate y’all being here.

Cheers,
JM

Jon-Mark Craddock
CEO

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Originally published in JM's Weekly Roundup on 2026-05-01.