The varsity and bomber jackets that make San Francisco – and have long since been made in San Francisco.

“The coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in San Francisco.” It’s a funny line, even if its supposed author, Mr Mark Twain, never actually said it, or wrote it, or felt it. (His actual writing on the City by the Bay praised its natural beauty – and chastised locals for complaining about the wind.)

Still, there’s a reason the saying gets play nearly two centuries after it was (or wasn’t) said. San Francisco weather is famously brisk, and the aforementioned wind is damn cold. And no one suffered the chilly City climate with grace quite like the men who, in the early 20th century, made their living on the docks – the longshoremen who shouldered the burdens of the robust shipping industry that developed there after the California gold rush.

It was those dockhands who, in 1922, became Golden Bear Sportswear’s first customers. From its Howard Street workshop, the brand produced elegantly sturdy coats built to withstand strong winds in the port. Two decades later, Golden Bear introduced what remains its best-known item: the bomber jacket, inspired by WWII-era fighter pilots.

The Golden Bear bomber – and his fresh-faced younger brother, the varsity jacket – have endured the countless cultural and sartorial revolutions that have transpired since. They’ve even served as something of a unifier: the rare item treasured by both hippies and cops, establishment politicians and iconoclasts, genuine rebels and bona fide all-Americans. Fans range from President Bill Clinton to Mr David Letterman, who designed his own custom jackets during his Late Show run. Mr Paul Newman wore Golden Bear, as did members of the Grateful Dead.

So why has Golden Bear not just survived, but thrived? The primary answer is craftsmanship: every Golden Bear item is still lovingly made by hand in a San Francisco factory. (The brand upgraded to one on Potrero Avenue a few years ago.) Another is the timelessness of what they make: bombers and varsity jackets that continue to look both stylish and relevant.

And then there’s that ineffable factor known as California Cool, almost as present in the state’s northern outposts as it is down south. The brand is careful to maintain its local connection, even supplying varsity jackets to local schools, as well as providing motorcycle jackets for the local police. As Mr Matt Ehlan, Golden Bear’s longtime keeper of the flame, puts it: “There’s some sort of SF ethos that reflects in our jackets: a kind of hip durability that’s identifiable but doesn't scream too loud.”

That hip durability radiates throughout Golden Bear’s exclusive capsule for MR PORTER – part of the Made In California project – which ranges from a sharp black leather varsity jacket to Harringtons in khaki, bright blue and, yes, a very on-trend pink. Each piece, true to the brand’s heritage, is made in California, and is equally at home over a favorite tee or a dress shirt and tie. We think the line will appeal whether you’re a proud rebel or a defiant establishmentarian – or if, like most of us, you’re a little bit of both.

For more pieces from the MR PORTER Made In California project, click here