Green was the hardest color in the world to make, and then it was the deadliest. Josh Sirlin on arsenic, Victorian dye houses, and what a real green still costs.
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Rise decides where your leg appears to start, and a tailor cannot fix it afterward. Josh Sirlin on the one measurement worth taking before you order anything.
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Most people put their jeans away in June. I do the opposite. The white core inside a rope dyed yarn, the old looms in Okayama, and what a hot road actually does to a pair of jeans.
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The prize was never the finish. Josh Sirlin on purpose, the long chase behind Black Bear Brand, and why the pursuit is the thing that keeps you alive.
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Flip your cuff. That pale thread is the weft, and it decides more than you think. Josh Sirlin on twill, slub, and the hidden half of denim.
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Never had a cavity. Still broke six teeth. Josh Sirlin on gold crowns, the oldest dental material there is, and choosing the right material for the job.
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Harris Tweed is the only cloth in the world defended by its own Act of Parliament. Josh Sirlin on the Orb, the islands, and what tartan really was.
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Black jeans are harder to make than blue ones, and almost nobody says so. Josh Sirlin on sulfur dye, over-dyeing, and how to keep black denim black.
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You cannot buy these colors. Josh Sirlin on creating custom dye colors for Black Bear Brand, the garment wash that follows, and why no two pairs come out the same.
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Indigo is the only dye that leaves on purpose. Josh Sirlin on Japanese indigo, rope dyeing, and the reason blue jeans tell you where you have been.
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Most people think fashion design is sketching pretty clothes. It is not. It is problem solving. Josh Sirlin on how he designs every Black Bear Brand piece.
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Black Bear Brand is not a new company. It is a resurrection. Josh Sirlin on George G. Black, a forgotten Seattle name, and a decade spent bringing it back
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The pocket bags in our WOMAN jeans are rose red and nobody will ever see them. Josh Sirlin on hidden details, the Edo merchants banned from looking rich, and why the best part of a garment is the part you keep to yourself.
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It is not a brand you slap on a product. It is a Chicago tannery quietly setting the world standard since 1905. Josh Sirlin on Horween, and the leather he builds with.
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Everyone says Japan bought America’s old denim looms. Mostly, that is a myth. Josh Sirlin on the Union Special machines, the Toyoda looms, and why the craft really lives in Okayama.
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Black Bear Brand is not a new label with an old look. It is a real Seattle company from the early 1900s, with a real factory and a real slogan, that Josh Sirlin spent a decade bringing back.
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In a small corner of Japan, a handful of artisans keep vintage shuttle looms alive — machines the rest of the world scrapped. Inside the lost art that makes the finest denim on earth.
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Some of the most American clothing in the world is now made in Japan — and made better. The Ametora story, the mills of Okayama, and Black Bear Brand's decade-long love affair with the country that saved American style.
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From 1930s Hawaii to Japanese needlework, the embroidered flower shirt is summer’s most iconic piece. Ours is wild, fully embroidered, and made in Japan.
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Everyone files corduroy under fall. They have it backwards. The corduroy short has deep surf roots, and ours is washed soft and made in Japan.
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