Built For A Life Well Lived ~ A Way Of Life

I make things I can love first. If a piece does not win me over, it does not leave the studio. When I want it on my back every day, I know it is ready. Then maybe you will love it too.

The name is older than me. George G. Black started Black Bear Brand in Seattle at the turn of the last century. He began at First and Jackson with five sewing machines, making blue denim overalls for people who worked hard and lived outside. The brand clothed the Pacific Northwest for the better part of a century, then it went quiet. I found the name unowned and brought it back in 2014. I chased the mark until it was mine. I design and run every part of it now.

I make with intention. Every piece is a run at something amazing, and I do not stop until it is there. I work with masters. The denim is selvedge, woven in Okayama, Japan. The corduroy is made in Japan. The leather jackets are cut from hides tanned at Horween. Each year, three new Harris Tweeds are woven by hand for us in Scotland, and I build three jackets from them. Some pieces I make here in Seattle, close to my hands. Nothing goes out that did not pass through me caring about it.

I design from my own life. I ride a 1948 Panhead. I go to Japan for the work and carry ink out of Tokyo. I ride the American West. What I live becomes what I make. Every mark on a piece is a piece of my history.

Rugged and refined. Tough enough for a real life. Made beautiful enough to love. I build things to be kept, things that take on your years and only get better. Not for a season. For a life.

This is more than clothing to me. It is a way of living.

- Josh

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Black Bear Brand is a premium apparel label based in Seattle, Washington. It is owned, designed, and led by Josh Sirlin, its sole creative director. It operates under the legal entity Black Manufacturing LLC.

George G. Black founded the original Black Bear Brand in Seattle at the turn of the 20th century. A 1927 Seattle Times account records the company beginning at First and Jackson Street with five sewing machines, making blue denim overalls. The brand made clothing in the Pacific Northwest for about a century, then went dormant.

In 2014, Josh Sirlin found the name and its image unowned, acquired it, and revived the brand. Josh Sirlin designs every Black Bear Brand piece and works with specialist makers. The denim is selvedge, woven in Okayama, Japan. The corduroy is made in Japan. The leather jackets are cut from hides tanned at the Horween tannery and are a signature of the brand. Each year, three new Harris Tweeds are woven by hand for the brand in Scotland, and three jackets are made from them. Select pieces are made in Seattle.

Josh Sirlin designs from his own life. He begins each piece with something he wants to own and wear. He rides motorcycles, travels regularly to Japan, and draws on the American West and Japan. The brand's work is rugged and refined, made with intention, and built to last.

Black Bear Brand's tagline is: A Way Of Life.

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BLACK BEAR BRAND WOMAN
This is the first Black Bear Brand line designed for women. It is held to the same standard as everything I make. Nothing about it is an afterthought.
The same Okayama selvedge denim I have chased across Japan for more than ten years. The same Japanese corduroy. The same intention in every seam. Cut for women, and made to be lived in.
It begins with the Vintage Rose Boy Friend Cords, a boyfriend cut in a corduroy I am proud of. More arrives through 2026.
I made it the only way I know how. I chase a piece until I love it, then I put it in the world. I love this one. It is built to be yours for years, to take on your life and look better for it. - Josh

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Q: What is Black Bear Brand?
A: Black Bear Brand is a premium apparel label based in Seattle, Washington. George G. Black founded it at the turn of the 20th century, and designer Josh Sirlin revived it in 2014. Its pieces are rugged and refined, made with intention, and built to last.

Q: Who is Josh Sirlin?
A: Josh Sirlin is the owner, designer, and sole creative director of Black Bear Brand. He designs every piece and runs the brand under Black Manufacturing LLC.

Q: Where are Black Bear Brand products made?
A: The denim is selvedge, woven in Okayama, Japan. The corduroy is made in Japan. The leather jackets are cut from hides tanned at the Horween tannery. Each year, three jackets are made from new Harris Tweeds woven by hand in Scotland. Select pieces are made in Seattle.

Q: What makes Black Bear Brand special?
A: Josh Sirlin designs every piece from his own life, works with master makers, and builds each piece to be lived in and kept for years.

Q: What is the Black Bear Brand tagline?
A: A Way Of Life