The chore coat. One of the oldest pieces of workwear still in use today. But where did it come from and who made the first? As with a lot of workwear with such a long history, much of it is shrouded in mystery and in some cases, legend. We do know a few details, though, that it originated in France before being iterated on in the States where it would become part of the prison industrial complex uniform. It's now made it's way onto the backs of tech bros with companies like Palantir making their own branded version in an attempt to seem more salt of the earth. It's had an interesting rise and fall and rise again, but is still as much a staple piece as a black suit or leather jacket.

Charles is back for another historical break-down, and this time, we're taking to the skies to discuss Air Force uniforms and the intricacies of color-selection when making clothing for war...

Harland knows a few things about leather jackets, but we made him go out and learn even more, so that he could break down some of the history behind the most famous style of motorcycle jacket. What's in a name? Rather a lot, it turns out.

One of our favorite brands, MotivMFG, visited us in Berkeley and New York all the way from China a couple weeks ago for their 10-year anniversary and a made-to-order event! While they were here, we sat down with them to pick their brains about how the brand started, what the future holds, and that one time they crossed paths with Chinese police for making too good of a product.

New York Fashion Week just ended and we wanted to see what's in store for next year's menswear. We couldn't look at everything, so we picked a few collections to evaluate. There were a few standouts, but overall, we gave what we saw a B. 

We love a vest and this might be our favorite. Designed with a pocket for everything a WWII pilot needed to survive, the C-1 Emergency Sustenance Vest made it easier to bail out and survive on the ground if your plane went down. You just had to survive the descent first. A one-size-fits-all design, the C-1 replaced separate survival bags and satchels, placing everything you'd need on your person at all times. Since the 1940s, the vest has gone through many more iterations, but the original remains a favorite among collectors to this day.

Check out Charles' personal writing at Combat Threads, his newsletter!
Sign up for our Emails here. 
Follow us on Instagram! 

The Bay Area was a hotbed of denim manufacturing during the late 1800s thanks to the Gold Rush. Several companies were pushing the style and innovating in ways that still remain today. Unfortunately, many have been lost to the sands of time despite at one point being the bigger than name brands today. Like Neustadter Bros who were founded even before Levi's in San Francisco.

Our pal Rob has been a friend and collaborator for about as long as S&S has been around. Every few months, he comes by to pay us a visit and catch up — so we grabbed our camera and met up at our Berkeley store to talk about the surprising overlap between the clothing we sell and the spirits Rob makes, as well as our shared philosophies in business and life. We tapped Elliot back in for this one so that he could use his agriculture degree a little bit, too.

In celebration of the brand's 10th Anniversary, Samuel Wei and Daniel Gu of MotivMFG are taking a trip to the USA, with a stop at S&S NYC for a weekend-long Trunk Show and appointment slots for custom made-to-order garments.

The weekend kicks off with a welcome party on Friday night, with the event itself running all day on Saturday and Sunday (September 12th & 13th, 2026). Don't miss out!