This isn’t about politics but patriotism is lost on the masses in America and has been for a long time. It’s old news. Heading into rural America or the heartland you’ll find plenty of pro-American citizens who still believe that we live in the greatest nation on earth. But this is a mindset from sixty years ago, now outdated and proven nearly entirely wrong or at best somewhat self-serving and ignorant of the accomplishments of nearly any other rising power worldwide.

One thing that marched out that door on the day that Americans lost their faith in their nation was the inherent ability to lead by example; to do something right without thinking about it and have others follow suit because they knew, just by watching, that this person had their business figured out: they knew what was going on. So when the trendsetters started dressing more casually and trying to find things from other countries that were impossibly cheap (both in price and construction), everyone trotted along right behind. This goes for the retailers as well who, as we all know, have moved all production abroad and can’t seem to get their style straight between the seasons. Suddenly they’re the trendsetters and what do we have left? A lot of sloppy-looking Americans.

People got the message; it was time for change. No one wants to look like a moron when the rest of the world has their shit together. While everyone else internationally had already begun to dress themselves like it mattered again, Americans slowly decided it was time to do so as well. Today we’ve got great small companies who provide unique services and styles for nearly every type of person. Custom fitting and tailoring is back at the highest point it has been in decades, mostly due to international influence and the call for Americans to stop looking like fools. The rest of the world did it: they led by example and we swung blissfully ignorant from their coattails.

So can we then say that America is truly the greatest nation on earth? That’s questionable. But can we say that we got our swag back? Absolutely. We’re kicking it old-school, and thusly the name ‘American Classic’ takes hold. It’s a showcase of the progression that we, as Americans, have made in the past decade in the realm of all things cool. We didn’t do it by ourselves; we needed everyone else’s help to get back on our feet but I’d say it’s been worth it. The value and need to have things of importance that really mean something to us, that we simply couldn’t live without, not just an amassment of things is back and that’s what’s so beautiful about it. The attention to detail, the sheer desire to have something that’s built to last longer than just a few years is an indicator that our thinking is moving in the right direction. Maybe it’s the sustainability movement reaching the menswear sector, but I like to think that it’s a combination of less-than-desireable economic factors mixed with the right people leading the right pack in the right way to the right destination.