The Fisherman Sweater and the Cable That Made It Famous

The Aran sweater is younger than the legend around it, and the true story is better. Josh Sirlin on cables, ganseys, and the Black Bear Brand merino fisherman sweater.

knits, Style & Heritage, outdoors, materials, Fabric Guide, Craft & MaterialsJosh SirlinSeptember 10, 2026fisherman sweater, aran sweater history, cable knit sweater, merino wool sweater, mens knitwear, black bear brand sweaterComment

Why Wool Owns the Fall

Wool works wet, holds a shape for decades, and gets better looking as it goes. Josh Sirlin on the fall jacket, on tweed, and on the three that get woven for us each year in Scotland.

Craft & Materials, Craft, Culture, Fabric, Fabric Guide, harris tweed, JacketsJosh SirlinSeptember 9, 2026wool jacket, fall jacket, harris tweed, tweed jacket, mens outerwear, wool crimp warmth, autumn style, black bear brandComment

Black Bear Brand Comes to Tokyo

The first Black Bear Brand pop-up in Japan opens in Ebisu on the second, third and fourth of October. Josh Sirlin on Tokyo, the collection, and the pieces coming with it.

Black Bear Brand WOMAN, Culture, Heritage, Japan & Culture, Japan, menswearJosh SirlinSeptember 8, 2026black bear brand tokyo, tokyo pop up, ebisu tokyo, black bear brand japan, japan pop up, 東京ポップアップComment

The Lining Nobody Sees

Cupro is made from the fuzz left on a cotton seed. Josh Sirlin on the quietest luxury in a coat and why ours is made in Japan.

Culture, Craft, Craft & Materials, Fabric Guide, Jackets, JapanJosh SirlinSeptember 7, 2026cupro lining, what is cupro, cuprammonium, coat lining fabric, japanese fabric, luxury details, black bear brandComment

The Engineer Stripe: A Cloth Brought Back From 1913

A hundred year old stripe, read off an original coverall and woven again in Okayama. Josh Sirlin on the Black Bear Brand engineer stripe and the vintage engineer pant and coat.

Craft, Fabric, Heritage, Japan, Japan & Culture, materialsJosh SirlinSeptember 6, 2026engineer stripe, tcb jeans, okayama japan, vintage black bear brand, engineer pant, hajime inoueComment

The Western Jacket, and the Chicago Tannery That Makes the Leather

Five generations of tanners on the Chicago River, and a jacket cut in Seattle. Josh Sirlin on horsehide, the rough-out finish, and a very limited run of the westerns.

Craft, Craft & Materials, Culture, Heritage, leather, made in usa, JacketsJosh SirlinSeptember 5, 2026horween leather, horsehide jacket, western leather jacket, rough out leather, made in usa leather jacket, black bear brand leatherComment

Seattle Is a Coat Town

Less rain than New York, spread over twice as many days. Josh Sirlin on what Seattle weather does to a wardrobe, and why our coats are made here.

Heritage, outdoors, Jackets, Style, Style & HeritageJosh SirlinSeptember 5, 2026seattle style, pacific northwest fashion, made in seattle, rain jacket wool coat, seattle weather clothing, black bear brandComment

My Special Run of the Leather Jackets

A one time run of the leather jackets, Josh Sirlin’s own favorites, already made and going up Friday at nine. These are preorder only, and the windows open three or four times a year.

Jackets, leather, design, made in usaJosh SirlinSeptember 3, 2026horween horsehide, leather jacket, rough out leather, horsehide jacket, made in usa, limited release, black bear brandComment

The Color Goes In Before the Yarn

A plain Harris Tweed is never one color. Josh Sirlin on fibre dyeing, blending to a recipe, and why the cloth changes as the light moves.

harris tweed, Style & Heritage, Heritage, Fabric Guide, CraftJosh SirlinSeptember 3, 2026harris tweed colors, fibre dyed wool, dyed in the wool, harris tweed jacket, scottish wool, outer hebrides, black bear brandComment

Melton Is a Town in Leicestershire

The warmest cloth in the closet is named for an English market town. Josh Sirlin on fulling, napping, shearing, and why melton stops wind.

Craft, Heritage, jacketsJosh SirlinSeptember 2, 2026melton wool, what is melton wool, fulled wool, wool coat fabric, winter coat wool, melton mowbray, black bear brandComment

The Peacoat Came Off a Ship

A Dutch word, a naval cut, and wool milled until the wind gives up. Josh Sirlin on where the peacoat comes from and how ours is made in Japan.

Heritage, jackets, JapanJosh SirlinSeptember 1, 2026peacoat history, what is a peacoat, melton wool coat, kersey wool, navy peacoat, made in japan coat, black bear brandComment

The Parts of a Shirt Nobody Names

Yoke, placket, gauntlet, gusset, interlining. Josh Sirlin on the vocabulary of a shirt, and on which of those parts actually tell you what you are holding.

Craft, Craft & Materials, Culture, Fabric Guide, HeritageJosh SirlinAugust 31, 2026parts of a shirt, split yoke, placket, gauntlet button, gusset, collar interlining, shirt construction, mens shirts, black bear brandComment

The Coats Come Out

Fall arrives, the tweed comes off the hook, and the peacoat returns with a new green. Josh Sirlin on cloth woven by hand in Scotland, coats made in Seattle, and wool woven in Japan.

Style & Heritage, menswear, Japan, Heritage, Craft & Materials, CultureJosh SirlinAugust 26, 2026harris tweed jacket, peacoat, melton wool, fall coats, made in seattle, made in japan, japanese wool, black bear brandComment

Four Sheepskins to a Jacket

A size medium takes four long curl sheepskins and one full day of one craftsman's hands. Josh Sirlin on shearling, on horsehide, and on the Northern Dream.

Craft & Materials, Culture, Fabric Guide, leather, Style & HeritageJosh SirlinAugust 26, 2026shearling jacket, curly lambskin, long curl sheepskin, horsehide jacket, horween leather, winter jacket, made in seattle, northern dream, black bear brandComment

Outdoor Clothing Came Indoors

Somebody named it in 2017 and the whole world went along with it. Josh Sirlin on how outdoor clothing became city clothing, and how to do it with cloth you actually want to touch.

Culture, Craft & Materials, Jackets, Style, Style & HeritageJosh SirlinAugust 25, 2026outdoor fashion, gorpcore, outdoor style, technical clothing everyday, layering guide, corduroy, heavyweight terry, black bear brandComment

What Made In Actually Means

The label tells you where a thing was assembled. It does not tell you who chose the mill. Josh Sirlin on the law behind the tag, and on choosing rooms instead of countries.

Craft & Materials, Culture, HeritageJosh SirlinAugust 24, 2026made in usa, country of origin, clothing labels, ftc made in usa rule, apparel labeling, made in japan, okayama, seattle, black bear brandComment

How to Store Clothes Through the Off Season

Moths do not eat clean wool. They cannot. Josh Sirlin on what actually eats your sweaters, what cedar does and does not do, and how to put a wardrobe away properly.

Craft & Materials, Culture, Fabric, Fabric Guide, materials, Style & HeritageJosh SirlinAugust 23, 2026clothes moths, storing wool, cedar closet, seasonal clothing storage, garment care, protecting sweaters, black bear bran, black bear brandComment

Wool, Measured in Microns

Wool does not itch because it is wool. It itches because of a number. Josh Sirlin on micron counts, the prickle threshold, and why the coarser fibers are not the lesser ones.

Craft & Materials, Fabric, Fabric Guide, Heritage, materialsJosh SirlinAugust 22, 2026wool micron count, merino wool, lambswool, shetland wool, cashmere microns, itchy wool, tweed, black bear brandComment

Denim Country

The wild west was loud, and the cloth that went through all of it was blue. Josh Sirlin on the jean jacket, the Cowboy Jeans, the people he rides with, and the looms in Okayama.

Craft, Craft & Materials, denim, Denim, fabric guide, Japan, Japan & Culture, materialsJosh SirlinAugust 21, 2026wild west, denim, one jean jacket, cowboy jeans, selvedge denim, okayama, japanese denim, indigo, black bear brandComment

The INFORMAL Pant

An Olympic skater asked for a pant he could actually skate in. Josh Sirlin on the 90s west coast cut, the design that came out of it, and what happens when a skate pant is made from cloth this good.

Craft & Materials, Culture, Heritage, Style, Style & HeritageJosh SirlinAugust 21, 2026skate pants, informal pant, jagger eaton, skate style, 90s west coast pants, organic cotton pant, made in japan, black bear brandComment