If the Friday Find series is all about spotlighting brands that fly ever-so-slightly under the radar, then it’s also about spotlighting brands and designers large and not-so-large that are doing things the right way, the hard way, in a steadfast manner. Perhaps no company featured on the Friday Find so far embodies that ethos and craftsmanship quite like Best Made Co. (let the debate begin, but for my money’s worth, it holds up!).

And in fact, perhaps Best Made Co. isn’t so unfamiliar to you — after all, the brand was founded in 2009 by designer Peter Buchanan-Smith, and quickly shot to cult fame for its iconic axes and hard-wearing, good old-fashioned pieces like chore coats and handsome sweaters.

The company was later folded into the Duluth Trading Co. umbrella, at least for a time (after Buchanan-Smith’s departure), but the founder eventually bought his company back and retooled Best Made beginning in the fall of 2023. The real story, to hear its founder tell it, is longer and more nuanced, but there’s lots to dive into here — and it certainly won’t be the last time we talk about Best Made Co. on this Brooklyn menswear blog, my friends.

What a journey, right? The brand is back under its founder’s guidance, and as near as I can tell, the results are as tough, hard-working, rugged and functional as ever — which brings us to the Best Made Co. Wool-Lined Waxed Field Jacket, among other must-see staples from a newly resurgent Best Made Co. The company is as product-focused as ever, with a rugged ethos that looks to the great outdoors and heirloom design staples aplenty.

When it comes to the Best Made Co. Wool-Lined Waxed Field Jacket, the brand used its own proprietary Cruiser Jacket pattern to deliver a twist on an old-time favorite, using British Millerain waxed cotton for a durable shell that’s then bolstered from the inside with sturdy but supple Wyoming wool. To say Best Made Co. went all-out with this excellent-looking jacket is an understatement:

The company lined the sleeves of this field jacket in cotton twill herringbone, then used wool within its hand warmer pockets. Meanwhile, British corduroy finishes off the collar and cuffs, and incredibly, it all comes together right n New York City. They don’t make ’em like they used to, except when they do. If this is a new look at a new Best Made Co., then color me very impressed — the best is indeed yet to come, I’d wager.