Denim and Long Curl Lambskin: The Coat for When Fall Turns

Indigo cloth, a wild curled collar, and two of the oldest materials in the wardrobe in one coat. Josh Sirlin on denim and sheepskin, long curl lambskin, and the botanical indigo denim winter coat.

Craft & Materials, Denim, design, Heritage, jacketsJosh SirlinSeptember 29, 2026denim and shearling, long curl lambskin, sheepskin coat, denim winter coat, fall jacket men, botanical indigo denim, northern dream jacket, lambskin jacket, black bear brandComment

Midnight Glen

The glen check came out of one Scottish valley in the 1840s and never left. Josh Sirlin on the pattern, and on the Midnight Glen Tartan Harris Tweed coming to Black Bear Brand.

Craft & Materials, Culture, Fabric, Fabric Guide, harris tweed, Heritage, JacketsJosh SirlinSeptember 26, 2026glen check, glen plaid, glenurquhart check, prince of wales check, midnight glen tartan, harris tweed, tweed pattern, black bear brandComment

Twenty Hours of Thread

Four days of chain stitching, white cowhide sleeves, melton wool, and eight months of production. Josh Sirlin on the ART Edition varsity jacket, on display in Tokyo on October 2.

Craft, Craft & Materials, Culture, design, Heritage, jackets, JapanJosh SirlinSeptember 22, 2026varsity jacket, chain stitch varsity jacket, melton wool jacket, made in japan jacket, bespoke varsity, tokyo pop up, limited edition jacket, black bear brandComment

Woven at Home

The loom is pedalled like a bicycle, in the weaver's own house, on an island in the North Atlantic. Josh Sirlin on what hand woven actually means on a Harris Tweed.

Craft, Craft & Materials, Culture, Fabric, Fabric Guide, harris tweed, Heritage, JacketsJosh SirlinSeptember 21, 2026harris tweed, hand woven tweed, outer hebrides, hattersley loom, orb mark, treadle loom, wool jacket, black bear brandComment

The Peacoat, and a Green I Made

A vintage coat worn for a decade, refined until there was nothing left to argue with. Josh Sirlin on the peacoat, on the custom hunter green, and on September 22.

Craft & Materials, Fabric, jackets, Heritage, outerwear, Style, Style & HeritageJosh SirlinSeptember 20, 2026peacoat, wool peacoat, hunter green peacoat, melton wool coat, made in japan coat, anchor buttons, mens outerwear, black bear brandComment

Midnight Glen, Wildflower, Moss Fire

Three new Harris Tweeds are woven for Black Bear Brand in Scotland every year, and Josh Sirlin makes three jackets from them. Here are this fall's three, starting with the Midnight Glen Tartan.

Craft, Craft & Materials, Fabric, harris tweed, Heritage, Jackets, made in usa, outerwearJosh SirlinSeptember 17, 2026harris tweed, midnight glen tartan, wildflower tartan, moss fire tartan, chore coat, zip coat, outer hebrides, made in seattle, black bear brandComment

The Jeans

Shuttle looms in Okayama, a family sewing room five generations deep, and an inseam that is long on purpose. Josh Sirlin on the Black Bear Brand jeans.

Craft & Materials, Culture, Fabric Guide, Japan, Japan & Culture, DenimJosh SirlinSeptember 17, 2026selvedge jeans, japanese selvedge denim, okayama denim, black bear brand jeans, shuttle loom denim, raw denim, triple needle, black bear brandComment

The Art of Chainstitching

One thread, one needle, one hand turning a crank under the table. Josh Sirlin on the 1865 machine that still cannot be improved on, and on four days of stitching one jacket.

Craft & Materials, Culture, Heritage, Jackets, Japan & Culture, StyleJosh SirlinSeptember 16, 2026chain stitch embroidery, chainstitch, cornely machine, moss stitch, chenille, varsity jacket embroidery, hand guided embroidery, black bear brandComment

Seven Colors of 30oz Terry

Color that goes on after a sweatshirt is sewn behaves differently forever. Josh Sirlin on garment dyeing and the Black Bear Brand 30oz terry hoody, crew, pants and shorts.

sweats, Style & Heritage, made in usa, materials, Fabric Guide, Craft & MaterialsJosh SirlinSeptember 15, 2026garment dyed sweatshirt, 30oz terry, heavyweight hoody, made in usa sweats, sweatpants, black bear brand sweatsComment

What Makes a Flannel a Flannel

Flannel is a finish, and the word is Welsh. Josh Sirlin on how flannel is actually made and the Black Bear Brand flannels woven and sewn in Japan.

Craft & Materials, Fabric, Fabric Guide, shirts, Style & HeritageJosh SirlinSeptember 15, 2026flannel shirt, what is flannel, flannel fabric, made in japan shirt, mens flannel, black bear brand shirtsComment

Shell Cordovan, the Slowest Leather in the World

Six months, about a hundred steps, and a piece of the animal roughly the size of two shoes. Josh Sirlin on shell cordovan and the Black Bear Brand western wallet. Black Bear Brand very special shell cordovan boots.

Craft & Materials, Heritage, leather, made in usaJosh SirlinSeptember 14, 2026shell cordovan, horween cordovan, cordovan wallet, leather goods, mens wallet, black bear brand accessoriesComment

The Roughout Commander Jacket

Roughout Horween horsehide with the raw side out, no lining, and vintage snaps. Josh Sirlin on the commander jacket, on roughout leather, and on the friends who have put real miles on theirs.

Waxed Canvas Came Off the Sails

Sailors noticed that wet sails pulled better, and a cloth was born out of it. Josh Sirlin on the history of waxed cotton and the Black Bear Brand wax canvas jackets.

Craft & Materials, Fabric, Fabric Guide, Heritage, jackets, made in usa, outerwearJosh SirlinSeptember 13, 2026waxed canvas, waxed cotton history, wax canvas jacket, quilted jacket, mens outerwear, black bear brand jacketsComment

Goose Down, and the Seattle Man Who Put It in a Jacket

The quilted down jacket was made in Seattle in 1936, and the oldest one left is still in the city. Josh Sirlin on down, the Himeji leather yoke, and our goose down vest.

Craft & Materials, Fabric, Japan, outerwearJosh SirlinSeptember 12, 2026goose down vest, down jacket history, made in japan outerwear, mens down vest, himeji leather, black bear brand vestComment

The Peacoat, in Hunter Green

Josh Sirlin wore one vintage peacoat for more than ten years, then made the one he actually wanted. A first look at the Hunter Green, a custom color worked out with the mill, releasing September 22.

Craft & Materials, Culture, design, Fabric, Heritage, jackets, StyleJosh SirlinSeptember 10, 2026peacoat, hunter green, japanese wool, aichi ichinomiya, anchor buttons, made in japan, custom color, tokyo pop up, black bear brandComment

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

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 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

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