Best Made’s Founder Returns, With or Without His Iconic Axe

Peter Buchanan-Smith thought he left Best Made behind. In 2019, he departed the company he founded 10 years prior. He moved on from the hand-painted axes, enamelware and heritage apparel. He moved out of the city and bought a house in the Catskills. He wrote a book, bought a sewing machine and taught himself to sew. He was content.

Then, this past July, he got a call from Duluth Trading Company, which had bought his brand in 2020 with big plans to expand. “They said that they were thinking about selling it,” Buchanan-Smith said, “and would I be interested in bidding on it?”

Earlier this month, the axe-wielding founder surprised everyone with the announcement that he was back. We got the full story on the unexpected sale, Buchanan-Smith's return and Best Made 2.0.