The craftwork behind every baseball jersey that matters
- Text by HUCK HQ
Driven by narrative, strategy and swagger, baseball is deeply rooted in the heartland of America. Nothing epitomises that better than the iconic baseball jersey itself.
It all stems from Easton, Pennsylvania – a city that’s one of the last of its kind. Located 70 miles west of New York, where the Lehigh and Delaware Rivers meet, it’s a place steeped in manufacturing history, shaped by generation after generation of American mill workers.
This is where the very fabric of baseball is crafted. As the official on-field partner of Major League Baseball, Majestic Athletic designs and manufactures all 30 MLB team jerseys in Easton, where everyone working on the factory floor loves – and lives – the sport.
Ahead of MLB’s historic visit to the UK next year, with the Boston Red Sox and the New York Yankees – the oldest rivalry in American sports – playing two regular-season games at the London Stadium, the return to prominence of the baseball jersey as a street-style classic feels well-timed.
To celebrate that enduring heritage, Majestic Athletic invited style blogger Matthew Spade to Easton so he could meet the team behind the replica Cool Base® Jersey and better understand the people and the place so integral to baseball’s identity.
There’s the plant manager who buzzes at the sight of MLB players hitting home-runs wearing jerseys made on his floor, the button maker stitching with lightning pace and precision, and the down-to-earth welcome of people who are committed to their craft.
“Very rarely is sporting apparel still manufactured with such love, passion and heritage,” says Matthew. “The opportunity to visit the Majestic Athletic factory in Easton and understand how the local culture, people, attitudes and place truly inform the products was too unique to miss.”
Check out the entire Majestic Athletic MLB range.
Enjoyed this article? Like Huck on Facebook or follow us on Twitter.
You might like
Gold-tinged togetherness as Londoners flock to Primrose Hill for the solar eclipse
Celestial gathering — Ella Glossop photographs the once in decades event from one the city’s most popular gathering spots, and the community spirit that encapsulated the moment.
Written by: Ella Glossop
Surveying community and resistance in LGBTQ+ nightlife
Sex, Clubs Dissent — A new book collates queer nightlife photography over the past 50 years, and the people who found refuge and safe spaces after dark.
Written by: Miss Rosen
In photos: Electric nights in ’70s Japan
Tokyo–Koza — Keizō Kitajima’s new photobook explores the explosion of party culture of Tokyo and Okinawa during an era of rapid change in the country, as well as its stranger turns.
Written by: Miss Rosen
“Magazines are cultural artefacts”: magCulture’s Jeremy Leslie on the enduring importance of print
We love magazines — Despite the ever creeping digitalisation of the world and culture, physical objects are taking on different, yet vital, roles in culture today. Ella Glossop chats to one of London’s biggest proponents of the art about why we need to support independent publications.
Written by: Ella Glossop
The anti-tourism guides revealing Lisbon’s true, radical heart
We Hate Tourism Tours — The Portuguese capital sees millions of people visit a year, against a backdrop of political turbulence and a housing crisis fuelled by short term holiday lets. Jack Burke meets the crew subverting their city’s perception, while bringing lesser seen stories and monuments to light.
Written by: Jack Burke
Defiance and pride in Chicano Camera Culture
A Photographic History — A new major exhibition surveys Mexican American photography over six decades, platforming Chicano artists at a Chicano museum for the first time.
Written by: Miss Rosen
