#49 Jacob Keller (Bare Knuckles)

Bare Knuckles' Jacob Keller on his uniform wardrobe, Al Green, Turkish Rugs from Etsy, and more

February 16, 2021

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When I first started following Jacob, he was making waves in the early days of fashion youtube with his channel, AlwaysFreshApparel. Since then, he's continued to absolutely kill it in the fashion industry, teaming with Cole McBride to bring us Hellmart for curated vintage (in-store and online), and Bare Knuckles for classic menswear pieces with a vintage spin. My all-time Grail, and a huge standout from the most recent BK collection, is the Tan Western Suede Jacket, but through all 5 collections, there have been zero misses. I also happen to know of an upcoming basics collection in the works 👀 so keep those eyes peeled.

🕵️‍♂️

The Night Of (2016)

I previously watched this drama miniseries back when it aired in 2016, but I recently rewatched just last week with my girlfriend. Maybe it’s the fact that my mom was a lawyer, but I seem to gravitate to any show that has courtroom scenes (i.e. I’m also watching Your Honor on Showtime). Riz Ahmed plays Nasir Khan, a Pakistani-American college student who spends the night with a mysterious woman and the next morning finds her brutally stabbed 22 times in her bed. The show cuts time between the trial and Khan’s time in prison and how easy it is to make decisions as an inmate that can damage your future. Give it a watch - John Turturro does an amazing job as Khan’s unqualified, yet surprising attorney.

👖

Self Edge

Someone has to hold me back. I think I’ve been to the Self Edge Portland store once a week for the past month, maybe? As you get older (I’m 29 this year), you start to feel the urge to develop a bit more of a uniform wardrobe. I still love my choices, don’t get me wrong - you can’t be a clothing guy and not have options. But if I can wake up in the morning and know I have a go to pair of jeans with a fitted white tee, it makes the rest of my decisions easier. Self Edge is consistently my favorite store to buy long lasting, quality essentials that will keep you looking timeless. I am victim of buying an outlandish designer piece and getting 2 wears out of it a year - but soon, like me, you will prefer to grab some jeans and a shirt and call it a day.

🎶

Let’s Stay Together (1972) by Al Green

In my 2020 Spotify Recap, Al Green was my number one most listened to artist. He is the king of “set it and forget it” - you never once have to press skip on his Spotify radio. If I had to choose, his album Let’s Stay Together is one of my favorites (along with Kind of Blue (1959) by Miles Davis). I’ll stop writing here because I would prefer you play the album while you read the rest of this newsletter.

🧶

Turkish Rug Empire on Etsy

GET YOUR CRIB RIGHT. This is another spot I’ve only secretly told people about but I want you guys to be the best versions of yourselves and that includes making your home a place you enjoy being in. I live in a 1950’s mid century modern home so these rugs match the vibe and look I’m going for perfectly. But don’t worry, I’ve seen these rugs in concrete studios, wood lofts, etc and they just work. They just look good everywhere. Throw out your IKEA rug and start building a quality home - the prices are super reasonable, I think I’ve spent no more than $250 on a single rug? This dude is legit and it will spice up your decor, I promise.

🤧

Le Labo Rose Detergent

I’m bout to blow up my spot but whatever, you guys need this. I can’t stress enough the importance of being a person who smells nice. It’s not hard to do, but you’d be surprised. Everyone goes straight to the colognes and skips out on the quality of their detergent. It makes a world of difference, I’m telling you. This shit right here will gift you infinite compliments. I sell vintage for a living and I have received over a dozen emails asking why their shirt smells so good. THIS IS IT. You don’t need a ton, it’s super concentrated, so I would recommend mixing less than a tablespoon with your normal detergent. I wash my sheets weekly with this too and it makes me excited to go to bed (it’s literally laundry day in my picture above ^^).

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#49 Jacob Keller (Bare Knuckles)

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