Kooth Brand Workshirts

My favorite American stories are about people who took a risk to follow their dream (much like our founder Eric Bandholtz, who left the banking world to start Beardbrand). Kooth Brand owner Shayne Salinas primarily worked in the construction and ranching industry in Houston before taking a chance on his company in 2014.

I asked him why he started his brand and he said “I just wanted to design handmade workshirts that would stand up to the hard work and timeless style that I wanted for myself; my passion is my fashion.” It just made sense for him to settle on “Timeless Goods & Apparel” as his motto. We talked about Kooth for an hour and while he was outgoing and passionate he was also humble and grateful.

Where did the Kooth name come from? It’s derived from the English word “couth” meaning cultured and refined. The word dates back to the 1800’s but the spelling change adds a modern touch giving it the classic-meets-modern aesthetic of their brand.

Shayne designs Kooth’s products himself and has then manufactured in America at places like L.C. King, the oldest cut-and-sew factory in the U.S.A. (we’ll be featuring them in the coming weeks). The shirts came to me wrapped in brown paper packages and were indeed tied up with string. Each included a personal note, stickers, and a shop cloth.

Available in light indigo, dark indigo, and hickory stripe, the classic fit workshirt is designed and handcrafted to pay homage to the 1930’s American worker. It’s made of 8 oz 100% cotton and has large 22 mm buttons and reinforced plackets to stand the test of time. The buttons are my favorite feature by far. These things are huge and classic. The light indigo shirt has white buttons that really contrast, and the dark shirt has dark navy buttons that are more subtle.

I’m also digging the larger collar that throws back the classic workman style from the 30’s. It also features single white stitching, round chest pocket with pencil holder, rectangle chest pocket with attached button flap and buttoned cuffs. They run a bit big, so size down to get your best fit. I wore mine with brown duck chore coats and denim jackets.

Can’t get enough? Check out their full collection of short-sleeve chambray mechanic shirts ($70), nylon ripstop vests ($65), and chore coats ($75). Kooth represents the type of brand that’s easy to get behind. You’re already a master of your beard, get yourself into one of their workshirts and be a master of your industry.

$80 koothbrand.com

Do you know of an awesome product out there that we should feature? Let us know via twitter @bandholz.