Welcome to Selectism
Selectism is a regular newsletter by Jeff Carvalho.
For more than 20 years, I’ve worked as a journalist covering culture from every angle of the jetstream—with a focus on uncovering the very best things. These “best things” take many forms, often elevating even the most mundane objects into conversation starters.
Take the plain white T-shirt: arguably the most ubiquitous item of clothing ever sold. It spans the retail spectrum—from Hanes value packs at Target to Balmain 3-packs that cost as much as a night out. Somewhere between those extremes, you’ll find brands (and people) doing things differently.
I love small and mid-sized makers crafting goods that rival—and often surpass—what’s coming from big-box stores or luxury brands.
What You’ll Find Here
Selectism back to surface these creators—just like we did when we first launched in 2007. You’ll find stories about:
• Leather shoes crafted in Italy or Maine
• Hand-made notebooks from Japan
• Vintage clothing, ephemera, and all sorts of old things
• And other well-made, well-thought-out objects that are worth talking about
Our Values
• We tell positive stories. We don’t cover things we dislike.
• We believe in a sense of discovery.
• We focus on the people, places, and things we love.
• We champion small designers, creators, and brands.
• We support brands that offer transparency.
• We believe in digestible storytelling experiences.
• We believe high-quality things aren’t exclusive to luxury brands.
• High-quality can also mean vintage or pre-owned.
• Big brands can help support stories about smaller ones.
• And yes—we believe more classical humanities studies are needed, every day.
Thanks for Subscribing
If you’re with me, hit subscribe. You won’t miss a thing—every new edition of Selectism goes straight to your inbox.
Colophon
Selectism is powered by Substack, which builds solid tools for writers. I do my best to follow AP style, with a few custom twists. Everything is written on a MacBook Pro M4 using a Logitech M220 mouse. I write primarily in Apple Notes, Google Docs, or directly in the Substack editor. I work on an IKEA Trotten standing desk topped with a Fiskars 24-by-36 gray cutting mat. I stand on an Ergodriven anti-fatigue mat. Physical notes are taken on basic legal pads with a Pentel GraphGear 500 0.7mm drafting pencil. The two books I keep by me while writing are The Synonym Finder by J.I. Rodale, and The Associated Press Stylebook 2019.
Some links are affiliate links, which means if you buy something, I might get a small cut. It helps me keep doing this work, so thank you.
Unless otherwise noted, all photographs, images, and graphic elements are my own.
© 2025 Jeff Carvalho. All rights reserved.
