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.

Middle of July has a funny way of making everything feel a little slower and a little louder at the same time. Hot afternoons, later dinners, kids running around, a truck that never seems to cool down quite fast enough. It’s not exactly subtle, but there’s something good about it if you let yourself settle into the pace.

This week I’ve got two new Exótico Polo Belts that just landed, a book on American style that I finished this week, a Texas hatmaker worth watching, and a brand making canvas and leather goods that look like they can take a beating.

TL;DR:

• La Matera Highlight: Two new arrivals, the Exótico Oscura and Exótico Trigo Polo Belts, back after becoming two of our best sellers this year.

• Worth a Read: Ametora by W. David Marx, a smart look at how Japan adopted, studied, and reshaped American style.

• Worth a Watch: How Custom Cowboy Hats Are Made, a Texas hatmaker, a real process, and a nice reminder that good work takes time.

• Brand I’m Eyeing: Bradley Mountain, canvas and leather goods made for the road, the field, and wherever the weekend takes you.

• Weekend Wisdom: John Steinbeck on letting go of perfect and getting back to good.

1. La Matera Highlight: Exótico Oscura and Exótico Trigo Polo Belts

We just got a fresh run of two belts that have been among our best sellers this year: the Exótico Oscura and the Exótico Trigo Polo Belts.

Both start with Argentine vegetable-tanned leather, embossed with that faux-exotic texture, then finished with the hand-embroidered detail that makes our Polo Belts what they are. Oscura is the darker of the two, with a little more edge to it. Trigo is warmer and lighter, and easy to wear with just about anything.

They have both moved quickly this year, which is not all that surprising. They feel familiar enough to wear all the time, but the texture and embroidery keep them from looking like every other leather belt in the closet.

If you missed them earlier in the year, they are both worth another look now.

2. Worth a Read: Ametora by W. David Marx

I finished Ametora this week, and it’s a good one if you care about clothes, taste, and how style gets passed around the world. The short version is that Japan took classic American clothing seriously, studied it closely, and in some cases preserved it better than we did.

That’s the part I find interesting. Oxford shirts, denim, varsity jackets, loafers, workwear, all the stuff that can feel obvious here, became something different when another culture looked at it with fresh eyes and real respect. The book gets into that back-and-forth without turning it into a dry fashion lecture.

It’s also a good reminder that good style usually comes from paying attention. Not chasing whatever is loudest, but noticing what holds up, what gets better with use, and what still feels right years later.

3. Worth a Watch: How Custom Cowboy Hats Are Made

This short video on Nathaniel’s Custom Hats in Georgetown, Texas is worth a few minutes if you like watching someone do a craft the right way. Hatmaking is one of those things most of us understand in theory, then you watch the actual process and realize how much hand, eye, steam, pressure, and patience go into it.

The best part is that it does not feel precious. It’s practical work. Shape the felt, read the customer, make the thing fit the person who’s going to wear it. That’s the kind of craft I always enjoy watching because it sits right at the intersection of utility and personality.

Also, hard to beat a good cowboy hat made by someone who clearly knows what he’s doing.

4. Brand I’m Eyeing: Bradley Mountain

I’ve been poking around Bradley Mountain lately. They make canvas and leather bags, apparel, small goods, and a bunch of other useful things with that road-trip-outpost feel that’s easy to like when it’s done with restraint.

The bags are what pulled me in first. Waxed canvas, leather, simple shapes, not too many bells and whistles. The kind of thing you could throw in the truck for a weekend, bring through an airport, or keep by the back door with whatever you need for the day.

There are plenty of brands trying to look rugged. Bradley Mountain feels like it has a little more dirt under its fingernails, in a good way. Worth a look if you like gear that feels useful before it feels decorative.

5. Weekend Wisdom: John Steinbeck

“And now that you don’t have to be perfect, you can be good.” - John Steinbeck, East of Eden

That one lands. Perfect can be a pretty sneaky excuse to stall, overthink, or keep sanding something that was probably ready a while ago. Good is usually where life actually happens: a good dinner, a good walk, a good conversation, a good effort. Hope you get a little of that this weekend.

Appreciate y’all being here.

Cheers,
JM

Jon-Mark Craddock
CEO

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Originally published in JM's Weekly Roundup on 2026-07-17.